Open Access

ARTICLE

Crashworthiness Analysis and Simulations of Vehicles Impacting a Roadside Guardrail

by

1 The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677-1848, USA

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2004, 5(3), 269-278. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2004.005.269

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a three-dimensional finite element study to simulate impacts of the models of a car and a pickup truck against a model of modified thrie-beam guardrail and to analyze the crashworthiness of the roadside guardrail. Nonlinear springs were used to simulate the rotation of the post below ground level. The simulation results of an event of a pickup truck impacting the modified thrie-beam guardrail model are presented. The ``reduced'' version of the pickup truck model is redirected after impact and leaves the guardrail without any significant problem. These results compare well with the results of a simulation of the impact of a ``detailed'' version of the pickup truck model. The simulation results indicate that the roadside guardrail model is performing properly and as expected.

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Keywords

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