Citation

Altenhof W, Li Z, Zamani N, Arnold B. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Pt. D J. Automobile Eng. 2003; 217(12): 1057-1069.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1243/09544070360729400

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This research deals with experimental and finite element simulation of impacts occurring between a rigid plate and an aluminium three-spoke steering wheel armature to investigate the energy absorption capabilities of the armature. A limited number of experimental tests were conducted to validate a numerical model of the armature. An acceptable correlation between the experimental testing observations and numerical simulation results was observed for this highly non-linear problem. The numerical model was used to investigate the energy absorption abilities of the armature with variations in the impact location (wheel angle) and orientation of the armature (column angle). The finite element simulations have illustrated that the hub region is the location where most energy due to plastic deformation in the structure is absorbed. These results are very dependent upon the location of impact and the armature orientation. These observations provide an understanding into the characteristics of energy management in crash situations for the steering wheel armature.

Language: en