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Modelling and simulation of four-stage collision energy absorption system based on magneto rheological absorber

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Abstract

The world is moving towards applying intelligent technologies in automobiles, with focus on the development of autonomous vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with devices to predict and avoid dangerous situations such as vehicle crashes, pedestrian hits, etc. Such devices are mostly used in pre-crash management but not during crash. Hence, there is a requirement of smart crash energy absorption system that works during crashes and modulates its energy absorption capability as per the severity of crash. Thus, the proposed methodology involves development of mathematical modelling and dynamic simulation of a four-stage collision energy absorption system. The Dodge Neon vehicle is considered as a base model with 4 DoF lumped parameter modelling (LPM). The proposed model is equipped with four impact absorption elements such as a bumper, magneto rheological absorber (MRA), spring, and a piston-cylinder with shear plate assembly, that are in series. The MRA is an intelligent device which plays a vital role to make a system to be smart or semi-active by adjusting the crash absorbing capability while altering the power distribution to MRA as per the severity of crash. The modified Bouc-Wen model is utilized for MRA, which is non-linear in nature, and the spring-dashpot model has been considered for other elements of the proposed system. Dynamic expressions have been derived and simulated to validate the capability of the proposed model against the existing base model. The proposed model exhibits great capability in terms of displacement, deceleration, and time of crash of the occupant’s cabin. The proposed design can also be utilized for the electrical vehicles (EVs) as an add-on system because of the absence of crushable mechanical elements.

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Data availability

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article. However, in the case of any further clarifications, the readers may please contact the corresponding author.”

Abbreviations

α, α a :

Evolutionary coefficients, N/m

α b :

Evolutionary coefficient varying linearly with the applied voltage, N V−1 m−1

β, γ :

Hysteresis parameters of yield elements, m−2

A :

Dimensionless quantity controlling the behaviour of the model

c 0 :

Viscous damping coefficient at high velocities, N s/m

c 0a, c 1a :

Damping coefficient related to c0 and c1, N s/m

c 0b, c 1b :

Damping coefficient related to c0 and c1 varying linearly with the applied voltage, N s V−1 m−1

c 1 :

Viscous damping coefficient at low velocities, N s/m

E max :

Maximum energy absorbed, J

F max :

Maximum damping force, N

F MR :

Damping force, N

k 0 :

Stiffness at high velocities, N/m

k 1 :

Accumulator stiffness, N/m

n :

Exponential parameter that varies between 1 to 2.

V :

Voltage applied, V

u :

Filtered voltage, V

\(\dot{u}\) :

Derivative of filtered voltage, V/s

η :

Coefficient of first order voltage filter, s−1

x 0 :

Initial displacement of spring k1, m

x rel :

Relative displacement, m

y :

Displacement of the piston, m

z :

Evolutionary displacement component, m

\(\dot{z}\) :

Evolutionary velocity component, m/s

c :

Damping constant of bumper, N s/m

c 1b, c 2b, c 3b :

Damping elements of frontal parts of the vehicle, N s/m

c 3 :

Damping constant corresponding to stage-4, N s/m

F 1 :

Force at stage-1, N

F 3 :

Force at stage-3, N

F 4 :

Force at stage-4, N

k :

Stiffness of bumper, N/m

k 1b, k 2b, k 3b :

Stiffness of frontal parts of the vehicle, N/m

k 2 :

Conventional spring stiffness for stage-3, N/m

k 3 :

Stiffness corresponding to stage-4, N/m

M 1 :

Mass of suspension and lower longitudinal structural members, kg

M 2 :

Mass of engine, engine cradle, and upper longitudinal structural members, kg

M 3 :

Mass of fire wall and part of body on its back, kg

M 4 :

Mass of occupant’s cabin, kg

T peak :

Time to reach peak entity, s

\(x_{1} ,x_{2} ,x_{3} ,x_{4}\) :

Displacement of M1, M2, M3, and M4, m

\(\dot{x}_{1} ,\dot{x}_{2} ,\dot{x}_{3} ,\dot{x}_{4}\) :

Velocity of M1, M2, M3, and M4, m/s

\(\ddot{x}_{1} ,\ddot{x}_{2} ,\ddot{x}_{3} ,\ddot{x}_{4}\) :

Acceleration of M1, M2, M3, and M4, m/s2

V i :

Initial velocity of the vehicle, m/s

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for AI, IoT, and Robotics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, Chennai, 600127, India

    Pavan Kumar Archakam & Sreekumar Muthuswamy

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  1. Pavan Kumar Archakam
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  2. Sreekumar Muthuswamy
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Correspondence to Sreekumar Muthuswamy.

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Archakam, P.K., Muthuswamy, S. Modelling and simulation of four-stage collision energy absorption system based on magneto rheological absorber. Int J Mech Mater Des 19, 49–72 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10999-022-09616-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10999-022-09616-7

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