United States Department of Transportation
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Abstract:A finite element simulation of a small automobile impacting a rigid instrumented pole using the nonlinear finite element code DYNA3D is presented in this report. The vehicle model was based on a 1989 Ford Festiva, a member of the 820C class of vehicles defined in NCHRP Report 350. The Ford Festiva is a good representative of the 820C class based on FOIL tests of three different 820C vehicles. The model consists of beam, shell, and solid elements. The objective of this report was to develop a computationally efficient finite-element model using as few elements as possible, that can be analyzed "overnight", without unduly sacrificing the accuracy of the results. Nodes were merged at junctions where parts met. Contact surfaces were defined between parts of the model where contacts were anticipated during the impact. The rigid pole was modeled as a hollow semicircle of solid elements with a very large mass. Three impact scenarios were analyzed for this study: (1) centerline impact, (2) left-of-centerline impact (strongest spot), and (3) right-of-centerline (weakest spot). Accelerations, velocities, and displacements at the center of gravity of the vehicle and reaction forces on the rigid pole of the finite element model are plotted. Results of the centerline impact are compared with full-scale test results. These finite element analysis results indicate that computationally accurate results can be obtained with a relatively simple vehicle model for the test conditions under consideration.
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