A simplified model for barrier–vehicle interaction in a rear crash for early phase development and solution spaces

In early phase of vehicular crashworthiness design, classical virtual methods cannot be used. This is due to (i) non-availability of data and especially incompleteness of component development in this stage (lack of knowledge uncertainties), (ii) necessity to evaluate a large number of different designs together with (iii) non-affordable computational times for detailed models, and (iv) necessity of independent and decoupled development of different departments and other involved parties. To solve these problems, an approach (solution space approach) has been developed enabling hierarchical development where feasibility limits (corridors) for each component are derived using simplified mechanical models such that the full-vehicle requirements are fulfilled. This is established and published for the relatively simple case of a full-width frontal impact against a rigid wall, but not yet realised for the rear impact case because of the complexity of interaction between vehicle and moving deformable barrier. Hence, in this paper, a new method for simplified modelling for both the FMVSS 301 rear crash barrier and the rear vehicle structure is presented and validated. This simplified model can also be used without the solution space approach.