Optimization of Seatbelt Restraint Forces in Vehicle Frontal Crashes

Fenghui SHI^1,

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Akashi College, Japan 679-3 Nishioka, Uozumi-cho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-8501, Japan

Cite this paper:
Fenghui SHI. Optimization of Seatbelt Restraint Forces in Vehicle Frontal Crashes. American Journal of Mechanical Engineering. 2024; 12(3):35-43. doi: 10.12691/ajme-12-3-2

Abstract

Current seat belt systems use a force limiter mechanism. However, they have the disadvantage of being unable to accommodate a wide range of speeds, as they provide constant performance regardless of speed. The purpose of this study is to reduce restraint forces across a wide range of speeds by developing a semi-active vehicle seatbelt system using a Magneto-Rheological (MR) shock absorber. The effect of system response delay is also considered. In this study, a vehicle model for the sled test is proposed for simulation and MR shock absorber optimization. In the first step, we optimized the gap of the MR valve and the initial pressure of the gas chamber. Then, the current applied to the coil is fine-tuned by minimizing restraint forces for various frontal crash speeds. The results show that the seat belt system with an MR shock absorber can significantly reduce restraint forces for various crash speeds. In all cases-Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3-by optimizing the current value I, the maximum chest restraint force was reduced by approximately 13.6% to 52.5% compared to using only the seatbelt.

Keywords:
seatbelt optimization MR Fluid Seatbelt Restraint Forces MR Damper Semi-active seatbelt

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Figures

References:

[1]	Campbell BJ. Safety belt injury reduction related to crash severity and front seated position. J Trauma. 1987 Jul; 27(7): 733-9.
[2]	Porter RS, Zhao N. Patterns of injury in belted and unbelted individuals presenting to a trauma center after motor vehicle crash: seat belt syndrome revisited. Ann Emerg Med. 1998 Oct; 32(4): 418-24.
[3]	Thoma T. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Notes. Review of studies on pedestrian and bicyclist safety, 1991-2007. Ann Emerg Med. 2012 Oct; 60(4): 495-6.
[4]	Research on Improving the Accuracy of Collision Speed Estimation for Front and Rear Impact Accidents, Report of Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, Japan. 2012.
[5]	Mackay, M. (1994). Smart seat belts - Some population considerations applied to intelligent restraint systems. In Proceedings of the SAE International Congress and Exposition, 28 Feb - 3 Mar, Detroit, MI, USA, paper nr. 940531 in SAE Technical Papers, p. 13–22.
[6]	Wismans, J. S. H. M. (2007). Secondary Safety Research Action Plan - Updated Roadmap. Technical Report D40, Advanced Passive Safety Network (ASPN).
[7]	Wismans, J. S. H. M. (2003). State-of-the-art report: Smart Restraint Systems. Task 5 report, European Vehicle Passive Safety Network.
[8]	"Innovative Designs for Magneto-Rheological Dampers" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-12-08.
[9]	Primary Suspension Archived October 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine http:// www.lord.com/ Home Magneto RheologicalMR Fluid/MRFluidTechnology/tabid/3318/Default.aspx MR Fluid Technology Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
[10]	Nguyen, Q. H. Han, Y. M. Choi, S.B. and Wereley, N.M. "Geometry optimization of MR valves constrained in a specific volume using the finite element method," Smart Materials and Structures, 2007. 16: p. 2242–2252.
[11]	Jolly, M. R. Bender, J.W. and Carlson, J.D. "Properties and applications of commercial magnetorheological fluids," 1998, Thomas Lord Research Center, Lord Corporation. p. 262-275.
[12]	Nguyen, Q. H. and Choi, S. B. "Optimal design of MR shock absorber and application to vehicle suspension," Smart Materials and Structures, 2009. 18: p. 035012-22.
[13]	Nguyen, Q. H., Han, Y. M., Choi, S.B. and Wereley, N.M. "Geometry optimization of MR valves constrained in a specific volume using the finite element method," Smart Materials and Structures, 2007. 16: p. 2242–2252.
[14]	Nguyen, Q. H. Choi, S.B. and Wereley, N.M. "Optimal design of magnetorheological valves via a finite element method considering control energy and a time constant," Smart Materials and Structures, 2008. 17: p. 025024-36.
[15]	LORD TECHNICAL DATA Sheet, MRF-140CG Magneto-Rheological Fluit. https:// assets.website-files.com / 612e162206d570eec03114fb/61716f81b70b5236eabcded4_DS7012_MRF-140CG.pdf.
[16]	Yang X, Shi J, Fu Q, Pu S, Lian C, Li K, Yin Z, Liu S and Wang G (2022), Optimization of the driver’s seat belt and injury biomechanical analysis in real world minivan small offset impact accident scenarios, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol, 10: 965206.
[17]	Song, C.Y. Enhanced Robust Design Optimization in Seat Belt Anchorage Strength for Front Crash Safety of Multi-Purpose Vehicle. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 1023.
[18]	Fenghui Shi, “Formulation and Simulation for Speed Control Humps.” American Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 12, no. 3 (2024): 26-34.
[19]	Fenghui Shi, “Multi-objective Optimization of Passive Shock Absorber for Landing Gear.” American Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 2 (2019): 79-86.
[20]	Fenghui Shi, Warren Isaac Anak Dean, and Taikei Suyama, “Single-objective Optimization of Passive Shock Absorber for Landing Gear.” American Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 3 (2019): 107-115.