Dynamic Load Analysis of Side Underrun Protection Device (SUPD) For Heavy Commercial Vehicles with Weight Optimization Using FEA

Abstract

SUPD is the essential safety device for the safety of smaller passenger vehicle in cases of rear collision. The purpose of SUPD is to avoid the under-run cases from side impact and to absorb maximum of the impact energy resulting lower fatality. This study is focused in Development of Methodology to Assess the Safety Features of Commercial Vehicles during Side Impact of Passenger Vehicle using Finite Element Analysis with Weight Optimization. In India, IS-14682-2004 decides the acceptable criteria for the SUPD of heavy commercial vehicle. In this paper, the optimised design of SUPD is proposed using the FEA analysis of the device according to the government test setup. Then using the LS DYNA software the proposed design was used to reconstruct the accident scenario with a bicycle impacting the SUPD at a velocity of 11kmph. Several design iterations in the SUPD design were made to prevent the severe occupant injury in case of side collision of a bicycle with the SUPD and to find the optimised design in terms of weight and strength. The output results were displacement by SUPD. The results were examined against the regulations of IS14682-2004 in a process to maximising the safety of rider. So a methodology was developed to the assess the safety features of the commercial vehicle at the time of side collision using the FEA method and saving money and time by avoiding the prototyping for every design iteration test.