Abstract:
For nearly three decades, finite element analysis (FEA) has been a valuable tool in roadside safety research, evolving from simple discrete-element codes to modern, general-purpose nonlinear explicit finite element programs. This paper reviews the history of FEA in roadside safety and discusses the current state of vehicle, occupant, and roadside hardware models that have been developed. It argues that while crash testing and engineering intuition were foundational, the increasing complexity of modern safety problems—such as designing guardrail terminals, addressing side impacts, and understanding vehicle-barrier interaction—necessitates the integration of advanced analytical methods like nonlinear dynamic FEA. The paper outlines a phased approach for integrating FEA into the design process: first, using it to analyze existing tests to gain a deeper understanding of failure mechanisms; second, predicting the outcome of future crash tests to optimize designs and identify critical impact conditions; and third, evaluating hardware performance in scenarios that are impossible to test physically, such as non-standard impact trajectories or with prototype vehicles. The discussion includes a review of available FEA codes like DYNA3D and LS-DYNA3D, as well as an overview of various public-domain vehicle and roadside hardware models, highlighting the benefits and challenges of each approach. The paper also touches on the use of occupant models and the importance of validating simulation results against physical tests using quantifiable statistical methods. In conclusion, the paper asserts that continued advancements in FEA will make it an increasingly critical tool for designing and evaluating roadside safety hardware in the future.
