Numerical analysis of vehicle-to-vehicle impact using vehicle dynamics control systems for collision mitigation

This paper focuses on the use of vehicle dynamics control systems (VDCS) to mitigate vehicle collisions in case of offset frontal vehicle-to-vehicle crash scenario. A unique 6-degree-of-freedom vehicle dynamics/crash mathematical model is developed and analyzed in this research. The model is used to define the vehicle body crash parameters by integrating a vehicle dynamics model with a vehicle front-end structure model. In this model, the anti-lock braking system and the active suspension control system are co-simulated with the full car vehicle dynamics model and integrated with the front-end structure. The associated equations of motion of the model are developed and solved numerically. Four different cases of VDCS are investigated in this paper and their associated results are compared with the free rolling case scenario. It is shown from the numerical simulations that the vehicle dynamics/crash response can be captured and analyzed quickly and accurately. Furthermore, it is shown that the VDCS affect the crash characteristics positively.