Abstract
For the weight reduction of vehicle body up to 20∼30% compared to the conventional monocoque steel body·.in-white, most automotive manufacturers have attempted to develop the aluminum intensive body-in-white using an aluminum space frame. In this paper, the crush tests and simulations for the aluminum extrusions filled with the structural from are performed to evaluate the collapse characteristics of that light weighted material. From these studies. the effectiveness of structural for is evaluated in improving automotive crashworthiness. In order to improve the improve energy absorption capability of the aluminum space frame body, safety design modifications are performed and analyzed based on the suggested collapse initiator concepts and on the application of the aluminum extrusions filled with structural foam. The effectiveness of these design concepts on the frontal and side impact characteristics of the aluminum intensive vehicle structure is investigated and summarized.
