Improved Truck Model for Roadside Safety Simulations: Part I—Structural Modeling

Computer simulation is now a mainstream tool for design and analysis of roadside hardware. For the past several years, researchers at the National Crash Analysis Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have been improving various features of a 2000-kg pickup truck model, the most widely used vehicle model for roadside safety simulation. Many modeling techniques have been learned, and an improved model has been developed that should aid analysts at other locations who are performing similar simulations. The various effects and difficulties of “reducing” a finite element model to decrease computational costs are examined, including the elimination of initial penetrations, free-edge tangling, snagging, and “shooting nodes.” The elective refinement of mesh density, the elimination of manipulated material densities to achieve desired masses, the improvement of connections between components, and the inclusion of all significant parts to improve accuracy are analyzed. The significance of not oversimplifying critical components is emphasized, as well as the importance of realistic model behavior. Evolutionary changes to vehicle models are required as more information is obtained about modeling and truck behavior in roadside safety applications. Different research groups will have different modeling approaches, but by sharing the details of those approaches and by sharing models, the collective capabilities in roadside safety simulation will improve, ultimately resulting in better roadside hardware. The models described are thought to be a tremendous improvement over previous-generation models of the reduced pickup truck.