Road safety structures, such as barriers, must comply with rigorous crash testing standards like the EN1317 norm. However, the wide variability in vehicle designs and testing conditions creates significant challenges for engineers to ensure performance reliability.

This paper introduces a cutting-edge approach utilizing DEP MeshWorks’ advanced morphing capabilities, coupled with LS-OPT and LS-DYNA, to address these challenges. By efficiently managing complex constraints and enabling sensitivity studies, this methodology optimizes barrier design, improves robustness, and enhances the accuracy of numerical simulations.

The study provides valuable insights into designing safer, more reliable road safety structures that meet stringent regulatory requirements while addressing the variability in crash test conditions.

 

• Objective: To improve the reliability and robustness of vehicle restraint systems through advanced simulation and optimization techniques.
• Challenges Identified:
  • Variability in vehicle designs used for crash testing.
  • Discrepancies between numerical simulations and experimental results.
• Proposed Solution:
  • Use of a unified impactor model across Europe to standardize crash tests, enhancing reliability and accuracy.
• Results:
  • Improved barrier performance robustness.
  • Enhanced numerical simulation reliability through better vehicle modeling.

 

This study demonstrates the importance of advanced simulation tools and methodologies in improving the reliability of road safety structures. By addressing the variability in vehicle designs and proposing a unified impactor model, DEP MeshWorks, LS-OPT, and LS-DYNA offer a practical approach to optimize and validate barriers.

Implementing these techniques can standardize crash tests across Europe, ensuring reliable performance and making CE marking comparisons more meaningful. This innovative approach significantly enhances road safety design processes.