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This document is the author's post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.

As focus on the world climate rises, so does the demand for ever more environmentally friendly technologies. The response from the automotive industry includes vehicles whose primary propulsion systems are not based upon fossil fuels. On this basis a Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project, partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is currently under way; part of this project involves designing a lightweight Body In White (BIW). This has been specifically tailored to suit the drive train and general packaging requirements associated with a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). The future opportunities for new lightweight vehicle architecture have been investigated using a technique entitled topology optimisation, which extracts the idealised load paths for a given loading. The topology optimisation includes equivalent NCAP dynamic impact loading conditions, as well as torsional rigidity performance. Initially a total of 7 loading scenarios are applied on a structure comprising of various battery and range extender layouts. Two different optimisation modelling techniques have been undertaken comparing conventional boundary conditions against inertia relief, as well as studying the sensitivity of the BIW topology against the influence of load case direction and battery box stiffness. Optimal locations for the two components having the highest mass, i.e. a single battery pack and a combined range extender and fuel tank have been studied focusing upon the effects of the location of their Centre of Mass. It has been assumed that advances in battery technology will reduce the external dimensions of the battery package, thereby enabling an increased number of possible locations within the BIW.

No abstract

This document is the author's post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.

The introduction of automated L5 driving technologies will revolutionise the design of vehicle interiors and seating configurations, improving occupant comfort and experience. It is foreseen that pre-crash emergency braking and swerving manoeuvres will affect occupant posture, which could lead to an interaction with a deploying airbag. This research addresses the urgent safety need of defining the occupant’s kinematics envelope during that pre-crash phase, considering rotated seat arrangements and different seatbelt configurations. The research used two different sets of volunteer tests experiencing L5 vehicle manoeuvres, based in the first instance on 22 50th percentile fit males wearing a lap-belt (OM4IS), while the other dataset is based on 87 volunteers with a BMI range of 19 to 67 kg/m2 wearing a 3-point belt (UMTRI). Unique biomechanics kinematics corridors were then defined, as a function of belt configuration and vehicle manoeuvre, to calibrate an Active Human Model (AHM) using a multi-objective optimisation coupled with a Correlation and Analysis (CORA) rating. The research improved the AHM omnidirectional kinematics response over current state of the art in a generic lap-belted environment. The AHM was then tested in a rotated seating arrangement under extreme braking, highlighting that maximum lateral and frontal motions are comparable, independent of the belt system, while the asymmetry of the 3-point belt increased the occupant’s motion towards the seatbelt buckle. It was observed that the frontal occupant kinematics decrease by 200 mm compared to a lap-belted configuration. This improved omnidirectional AHM is the first step towards designing safer future L5 vehicle interiors.