Chris Phan and Yong Seok Park
The Effectiveness of Synthesizing APillar Structures in Passenger Cars
181 - 187
2020
14
4
International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
https://publications.waset.org/pdf/10011173
https://publications.waset.org/vol/160
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
The Toyota Camry is one of the bestselling cars in America. It is economical, reliable, and most importantly, safe. These attributes allowed the Camry to be the trustworthy choice when choosing dependable vehicle. However, a new finding brought question to the Camry’s safety. Since 1997, the Camry received a “good” rating on its moderate overlap front crash test through the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. In 2012, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety introduced a frontal small overlap crash test into the overall evaluation of vehicle occupant safety test. The 2012 Camry received a “poor” rating on this new test, while the 2015 Camry redeemed itself with a “good” rating once again. This study aims to find a possible solution that Toyota implemented to reduce the severity of a frontal small overlap crash in the Camry during a midcycle update. The purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the performance of various Apillar shapes as energy absorbing structures in improving passenger safety in a frontal crash. First, Apillar structures of the 2012 and 2015 Camry were modeled using CAD software, namely SolidWorks. Then, a crash test simulation using ANSYS software, was applied to the Apillars to analyze the behavior of the structures in similar conditions. Finally, the results were compared to safety values of cabin intrusion to determine the crashworthy behaviors of both Apillar structures by measuring total deformation. This study highlights that it is possible that Toyota improved the shape of the Apillar in the 2015 Camry in order to receive a “good” rating from the IIHS safety evaluation once again. These findings can possibly be used to increase safety performance in future vehicles to decrease passenger injury or fatality.
Open Science Index 160, 2020