SIMCenter Researcher Uses Cutting-Edge Modeling to Ensure Car Safety

Some of the most exciting research performed at the SIMCenter is in the field of computational solid and structural mechanics. One researcher working in this field is Peiyu Yang, whose work primarily focuses on building virtual models based on the experimental data from real-life material tests. These models are then subjected to dynamic and static load conditions in order to determine how the original material would behave and in what ways it could fail. 

An example of Yang's work is a project in which he developed an FE (finite element) model of a ten-year-old crash test dummy, for use in a full-vehicle crash simulation. The goal was twofold: first, to evaluate the likely behavior of large belt-positioning booster seats in the event of a car accident; and second, to predict the impact that a passenger's head could sustain in the same scenario. According to Yang, "In this project, material characterization, joint characterization, and friction characterization needs to be done, in addition to constructing the FE model for the dummy." It is this dynamic relationship between reality and simulation that Yang finds most interesting about his field of research. "I'm always happy to see good correlations between simulations and experiments," he says.

Another interesting project that Yang worked on involved the development of an accurate model for spot-weld failure for an automotive company. In the past, there were no effective ways to simulate joining behaviors, but current technology has since made it possible for companies to correlate their experiments and their models. They do so in order to gauge the accuracy of their models, so they can use them in simulations to determine joining failure in a full car crash analysis, for example. Yang's approach was to first determine the properties of the material in question by performing tests on a representative sample of it, called a coupon. He used the results to create simulated material cards in LS-DYNA, from which he then obtained high-quality data that would have otherwise only been available during actual spot welding of the real material.

 

The ability of FEA (finite element analysis) tools to handle this level of complexity has not

gone unnoticed. "I can see a large potential in this field," Yang says. "Nowadays, more and more industries are starting to understand the benefits of involving FEA, which can reduce R&D costs and time." Yang's position as a SIMCenter researcher has allowed him to stay up to date on these developments, due to the access it provides him to computing resources that are essential to his work and research, such as the Ohio Supercomputer Center and various types of software.

In the short term, Yang hopes to push his research in new directions, toward "new materials like composites, material used for additive manufacturing, and simulation techniques of mechanical joints." In the long-term, he plans to use the knowledge and skills gained from his experience in the pursuit of a PhD.