Finite Element Design of a Single-Unit Truck

Research in finite element method (FEM) crash simulations for roadside hardware requiresvalidated and efficient vehicle models. The National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC), fundedby the U.S. Department of Transportation, has been developing and releasing numerous vehicleFE models into the public domain. These models are often customized for specific simulationscenarios. A collaborative effort among the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC),Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Battelle, and NCAC was initiated to enhance theaccuracy of these basic vehicle models in terms of kinematics and structural performance. Thisstudy details the methodology for evaluating and validating NCAC's Ford F800 Single-UnitTruck FE model, followed by updates based on experimental data. New HTML-baseddocumentation has been developed to aid potential users in model adoption. The methodologypresented here can be applied to other vehicle models currently in use, facilitatingcrashworthiness research.

Finite Element Design of a Single-Unit Truck Keywords:

Finite Element , Crash Simulation , Vehicle Model Updating , Single-Unit Truck.