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The objective of this work is to capture the final deformed shape of a vehicle after a rollover caused by a corkscrew event (ramp). With this study, it will be possible to understand the vehicle structural behavior during this event and be able to improve the vehicle safety in this specific condition. For this proposal, it will be presented a virtual methodology using available commercial CAE tools and perform a crashworthiness analysis of the desired event. The first step is to capture the dynamic event through a Multibody analysis that represents the interaction among the vehicle tire, suspension components (Springs, Dampers, Jounce Bumper, Bushings, Stabilizer Bar etc.), vehicle structural stiffness, mass, center of gravity and inertias when exposed to a corkscrew standard ramp, that initiates the rollover event. This methodology will represent with fidelity all dynamic aspects of rollover event before the vehicle touches the ground.

In vehicle design, the H point is a theoretical relative location measured in relation to specific characteristics, for example, H point to vehicle floor (H30), H point to ground (H5) and others. Based on theoretical H point automakers concept their vehicle and have to make important decisions on vehicle architectural that could result in a bad product for the future customers and during the early phase of vehicle development, one of the key design attributes to consider is in relation to the comfort of the user, so that its design and its components enable a favorable interaction with the occupant. Accessibility is one of the pillars on which this concern can be observed. Certain features such as the size of door opening and the height of the vehicle from the ground, among others, may influence the level of satisfaction of the occupants’ access.

Vehicles sold in many countries around the globe must comply with ECE R14 or FMVSS 210 regulation in order to ensure proper function of the safety belt system when submitted to high loads. In these regulations, the procedure requests to apply high forces on the safety belts by using proper devices. All components of the system such as seats, safety belts, anchorage points and vehicle body have to resist the specified loads with no damages. The loads are applied slowly and sustained over a long period of time, characterizing a quasi-static test. The present work was developed to understand the energy distribution among all components during seat anchorage test and determine any potential failure, including cases in which components are changed. The system was optimized considering the energy dispersed by each component and their material plastic strength limit.

The trailer hitch is an accessory which has been widely applied to vehicles as a protection device for low speed rear impact, aiming the integrity of the rear fascia. Its installation is commonly made at accessories shops without the orientation of the OEM’s and its project normally does not pursue the integration with vehicle structure. Using Finite Element Method, this work has as objective to study the influence of the trailer hitch in the body structure of small hatchback passenger vehicle during rear impact.