Determination of the crash pulse and optimization of the crash components using the response surface approximate optimization

Abstract Computational occupant analysis has been performed with a pre-determined crash pulse which is produced from a real test. The involved crash components are designed on the basis of the results of the analysis. This method has limitations in that the design does not have much freedom. However, if a good crash pulse is proposed, the occupant's injuries can be reduced more effciently and the body structure can be modified to generate the crash pulse. A good crash pulse is a deceleration curve that minimizes injuries to unrestrained occupants. In this research, a preferable crash pulse is generated by an optimization method called the response surface approximate optimization (RSAO). RSAO is a modified algorithm from a response surface method. The crash pulse is determined to minimize occupant injury while the related physics are satisfied. An RSAO in a commercial code is utilized by interfacing it with an in-house occupant analysis program called SAFE (safety analysis for occupant crash environment). Design of the involved components is carried out on the basis of the generated crash pulse by optimization. The RSAO is also used in this design process. The advantages of the RSAO are investigated as opposed to other design methods, and the results are compared and discussed.