Structural polyurethane foam: testing and modelling for automotive applications

The reengineering of the product development process in the automotive industry can be fulfilled by designing the automotive components virtually to reduce the necessary cost and time-consuming tests. The prerequisites for this are the numerical methods, which allow carrying out concept decisions based on calculation results. In presence of growing requirements related to the safety of occupants and pedestrians, this method is also being developed, giving possibility to perform the virtual design of interior components and simulate impact events. The process of simulations includes especially simulation of the complex behaviour of the materials used in the car interior. The present study is performed for energy-absorbing polyurethane foam of higher densities, which is increasingly used in the automotive industry not only for traditional applications but also in instrument panels, as a 'headliner' material and in side impact protection systems. Extensive study of energy-absorbing behaviour and modelling of this material are very important for further improvements in impact simulations. The paper enlightens the experimental study with respect to energy absorption ability of the high-density polyurethane foam and its modelling in finite element code PAM Crash for further impact simulations of real automotive components.