Design of Energy Absorbing Plastic Brackets to Meet Rear Crash Regulation ECE R42 2019-28-0041

Vehicle safety and adherence to rules and regulation is of utmost requirement for any OEM. ECE R42 is one of the most important test criteria for a vehicle to get launched. To prove this, we shall discuss the case of Low speed impact structure construction. In this paper, we are going to demonstrate the novel design of Polymer energy absorption structure to meet the rear bumper low speed impact test and ensure proper absorption of impact energy and avoid any damage to rear lamp of the vehicle. This paper shows a perfect example of sustainability with the help of complete modular construction of the frame structure. The proposed design uses a cost-effective way of assembling the physical part by comparing with benchmarking and within the Mahindra part library. The low speed impact structure is mounted directly to BIW panels without any extra foams. These frame structure are simple in design and rigid in construction by comparing with other OEM products and within all Mahindra vehicles.

The low speed impact structural member is integrated but modular at the same time as per the Design for Assembly requirements and thereby satisfying the functional and regulatory requirement of the invention. The low speed impact structural member was assembled in PROJECT Y vehicle to check it’s working. Tooled up parts have been successfully tested to prove out the functional requirement of the frame structure. In terms of CAE, the low speed impact frame structure has been successfully passed the regulatory requirement in the speed of 2.5 KMPH for the bumper which is fitted on 2TON vehicle category. The physical testing of the low speed impact frame structure has been done for vehicle level fatigue validation.

Our major focus achieves ECE R42 regulation by using low cost material. Reinforcement frame structure made of POM material. Cost for POM material is INR 130 per KG. Single frame structure has been used on each side to pass the regulation. The low speed impact frame structure has been designed as a compact and tough structure. Sufficient care has been taken to create a sustainable product with minimal investment as compared to. The material used for Low speed impact frame structure is POM which is very easy to locate the part with positive mounting to attach the parts on body. Since we are using POM material, the serviceability of this part is much easier and reliable by comparing with PP foam part. Also, the objective is to come up with a light weight sustainable, low cost and easily serviceable design construction for better vehicle performance and greater customer satisfaction.