Investigation of Development of Bumper Back-Beam Using a Thermoplastic Polyolefin

Recently, the application of the plastic material to automotive components and structures has steadily increased to satisfy demands on the saving of overall weight and the improvement of energy efficiency. The objective of this paper is to investigate the development of a bumper back-beam using a thermoplastic olefin (TPO). The bumper back-beam was designed to be manufactured from the injection molding process. In order to obtain a proper design of the bumper back-beam, three-dimensional finite element analyses were performed for various design alternatives. Stress-strain curves for different strain rates were measured by high speed tensile tests of the TPO to consider strain rate effects in the FEA. The influence of the sectional shape and the rib formation on the contact force-intrusion curves, the deflection and the energy absorption rate of the bumper back-beam was examined. From the results of the examination, a proper design of the bumper back-beam was acquired. The bumper back-beam consisting of TPO was fabricated from the injection moulding process and the vibration welding. Pendulum crash tests were carried out using the fabricated bumper back-beam. The results of the tests showed that the designed bumper back-beam can satisfy requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS). Through the comparison of the previously designed bumper back-beam with the newly designed bumper back beam, it was noted that the weight of the designed bumper back-beam is lighter than that of the previously designed bumper back beam by nearly 16 %. In addition, it was considered that the newly designed bumper back beam can improve recycling of the bumper back-beam.