2022 Volume 53 Issue 4 Pages 796-801
Automobile bumper beam which is one of the most important safety parts during front crash accident, is mainly subjected to a bending load and plays a key role in absorbing energy in collisions and protecting occupants. In this study, firstly a benchmark study about the material, manufacturing method and key external dimensions of bumper beam was performed. It is found that it has mainly the following kinds of structures: steel or aluminum press forming, steel roll forming and aluminum extrusion. And then steel roll-formed and aluminum extruded bumper beams which have a characteristic of constant cross section along the longitudinal direction were chosen, and a comparative study of crash performance and lightweight effect was conducted via numerical simulation. In which, the lightest aluminum extruded bumper beams according to required performance were obtained by using optimization design technology and the design guidance for thickness values of bumper beam walls became clear. The applicable areas of steel roll-formed part and aluminum extrusion were clarified by comparing the structural results of five types of external dimensions.
