Comfort and structural (FEA) analysis on light weighted car seat design optimized with EPP material

Abstract

In this paper, comfort and strength performance of conventional and lightweight seat design which is developed by using EPP (expanded poly propylene) material is investigated by using FEA (finite elements analysis) method. The main goal is to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions on passenger cars by providing weight reduction on car seats. To accomplish that, a special designed part made of EPP material, which has lower density and higher strength performance in compliance with PU (Polyurethane), is embedded in original car seats made of PU material, and the resulting composite material reinforces the structure and gives the similar performance compared to PU design, and in the meantime supporting metal frame’s weight inside car seats is also reduced. In parallel with design optimization, a comparative analysis of strength and comfort performances between conventional seat design and lightweight seat design is studied correspondingly. Highly nonlinear contact analyses are performed with the dummy named “Manikin” (human model) to analyze comfort performance by looking at the pressure distribution on surface of seats. The results indicate that after design optimization by using new material technology, nearly same comfort and strength performance are achieved and weight of the car seats can be reduced remarkably

Keywords

• Weight reduction on car seats, EPP material, Comparative comfort and strength analyses, FEA method

References

1. Republic of Turkey, Ministry Of Science, Industry And Technology (2012). Automotive industry report, Ankara, Turkey.
2. Grujicic, M. Pandurangan, B. Arakere, G. Bell, W.C. He, T, Xie, X. (2009). “Seat-cushion and soft-tissue material modeling and a finite element investigation of the seating comfort for passenger-vehicle occupants”, Materials and Design 30, 4273–4285
3. Siefert, A. Pankoke, S. Wölfel, H.-P.(2008).”Virtual optimisation of car passenger seats: Simulation of static and dynamic effects on drivers’ seating comfort”, Int. J. Industrial Ergonomics 38, 410–424
4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (2012). Final Rule for CAFE Standards for Model Years 2017 and Beyond , United States of America.
5. European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (2009). Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 of setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the Community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles Text with EEA relevance, European Union.
6. Eureka Project-Lightweight Seatbacks (2013),4920 Lıse, Styron Netherlands B.V. www.eurokanetwork.org/project, [access Oct. 2013]
7. Arpro physical properties (2013), http://www.arpro.com/tech-docs/europe, [access Oct. 2013]