Component-level impact performance assessment under spatially uncertain boundary conditions

This paper presents an interval field approach to represent the complex interactions between adjacent components in car crash simulations. Typically, the design and optimization of individual components is made on a component-by-component scale under the assumption that these interactions are negligible. Since the mechanical behavior of these components in a crash situation is highly non-linear, such decoupled design approach might yield unsatisfactory or even erroneous results. Therefore, it is proposed to represent the uncertainty that the analyst has on the rigidity and deformation of the adjacent structures of the component under consideration as an interval field, explicitly acknowledging the range of possible mechanical behaviors. The performed case study shows that, by adopting this approach, a more objective and robust design can be obtained.