CASE STUDY – Material models for depiction of unloading in low speed crash applications

Computer simulation is used in many fields of automobile development to shorten the development term and reduce tests. Large plastic parts such as instrument panels and bumper fascia take a lot of time to make a die, so it is necessary to determine the part shape quickly to shorten the term. Therefore, performance verification by simulation is important. However, due to issues such as material property and complicated part shapes, reproduction of phenomena such as deformation and failure are sometimes not sufficiently accurate in simulations of plastic parts. Creating a die, testing part, and evaluating its performance in such a situation may raise the possibility of inadequate performance. In that case, it is necessary to modify the die, which requires extra cost and time. Therefore, high simulation accuracy is necessary to avoid such risks.