Abstract
The aim of this paper is to enhance vehicle safety and crashworthiness in full frontal collision scenarios using vehicle dynamics control systems integrated with an extendable bumper. The work carried out in this paper includes developing and analysing a new vehicle dynamics/crash-mathematical model in case of vehicle-to-barrier full frontal collision. This model integrates a vehicle dynamics model with the vehicle’s front-end structure to define the vehicle body crash kinematic parameters. In this model, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the active suspension control system (ASC) are co-simulated, and its associated equations of motion are developed. This study shows that the minimum vehicle crumble zone’s deformation is achieved when the ABS alongside under pitch control (UPC) is applied with the extendable bumper, while the minimum pitch angle of the vehicle body and acceleration are obtained when the ABS alongside UPC technique is applied without the extendable bumper.
KEYWORDS – collision mitigation, mathematical modelling, extendable bumper, vehicle dynamics and control