Investigating the Crashworthiness of Kenaf/Kevlar Hybrid Composite Frontal Car Fascia for Low-Velocity Impact Using LS-DYNA: Fid-Bau Portal

Investigating the Crashworthiness of Kenaf/Kevlar Hybrid Composite Frontal Car Fascia for Low-Velocity Impact Using LS-DYNA

Sreenivas, H. T. / Krishnamurthy, N. / Suprith, S. V.

Abstract

The fascia of a car is a part that is responsible for absorbing the impact during a frontal or rear collision involving vehicles. Energy absorption is a critical parameter in determining the fascia’s efficiency. Twill weave Kenaf and Plain weave Kevlar polymer composites were used to study low-velocity impact behavior. CATIA V5 R20 software was used to create a 3-D solid model of fascia, which was then imported into the Hypermesh environment and simulated using LS-DYNA. In Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) United Nations Agreement, regulations were used to simulate the process for the study. Under the maximum deflection, the intensity was investigated in elastic mode using energy absorption and impact behaviour. The collision test was conducted at a constant low velocity of 4 km/hr., for five different laminate sequences L1 to L5, with fabric stacking as the predominant parameter. Further, L3, L4 and L5 hybrid laminates were compared with pure Kevlar (L1) and Kenaf (L2) laminates. The results were interpreted by using LS-PREPOST to analyze the energy absorption characteristics during crash for different materials. It was observed that the maximum internal energy uptake was recorded by L5 based on the stress distribution model. When compared to L3 and L4, L5 accounted for a 48 percent and a 24 percent increase in energy absorption, respectively, which clearly indicates that hybridization, stacking pattern adopted and the orientation of fabric have greatly influenced the strength of the laminate. In addition to these, the automobile industry can benefit from the use of renewable and environment-friendly materials considered for this study.