The crashworthiness of automotive frontal bumper systems plays a crucial role in improving vehicle safety by reducing impact forces transmitted to occupants during collisions. This research presents a comprehensive simulation-based analysis of bumper materials, including Aluminium Alloy (AA6061-T6), Mild Steel (AISI 1018), and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), to assess their performance in terms of energy absorption, deformation, and stress distribution under frontal impact conditions. The study involves developing a detailed finite element model using ANSYS/Workbench to replicate a saloon car bumper subjected to a collision velocity of 15.56 m/s, consistent with NCAP test standards. Through rigorous computational analysis, the materials were compared based on crashworthiness indicators such as total deformation, equivalent (von Mises) stress, equivalent elastic strain, and specific energy absorption. The results revealed that the CFRP bumper exhibited superior crash performance, demonstrating high energy absorption capacity and reduced deformation with minimal structural mass. Aluminium provided a balanced performance with moderate strength and significant weight savings, while mild steel offered excellent strength and rigidity but at the expense of higher mass. Overall, the study concludes that selecting suitable materials is essential for optimizing safety, weight efficiency, and structural integrity in modern automotive bumper systems.
| Published in | International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications (Volume 13, Issue 5) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12 |
| Page(s) | 157-169 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Crashworthiness, Automotive Bumper, Carbon Fiber Composite (CFRP), Aluminium Alloy, Mild Steel, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Energy Absorption, Vehicle Safety
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APA Style
Ramadhan, B. M., Ndimila, B. W., Mwesigwa, I. I. (2025). Crashworthiness Analysis of Automotive Frontal Bumper Materials. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications, 13(5), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12
ACS Style
Ramadhan, B. M.; Ndimila, B. W.; Mwesigwa, I. I. Crashworthiness Analysis of Automotive Frontal Bumper Materials. Int. J. Mech. Eng. Appl. 2025, 13(5), 157-169. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12,
author = {Bakari Momba Ramadhan and Benjamin William Ndimila and Isaac Itekulana Mwesigwa},
title = {Crashworthiness Analysis of Automotive Frontal Bumper Materials
},
journal = {International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications},
volume = {13},
number = {5},
pages = {157-169},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmea.20251305.12},
abstract = {The crashworthiness of automotive frontal bumper systems plays a crucial role in improving vehicle safety by reducing impact forces transmitted to occupants during collisions. This research presents a comprehensive simulation-based analysis of bumper materials, including Aluminium Alloy (AA6061-T6), Mild Steel (AISI 1018), and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), to assess their performance in terms of energy absorption, deformation, and stress distribution under frontal impact conditions. The study involves developing a detailed finite element model using ANSYS/Workbench to replicate a saloon car bumper subjected to a collision velocity of 15.56 m/s, consistent with NCAP test standards. Through rigorous computational analysis, the materials were compared based on crashworthiness indicators such as total deformation, equivalent (von Mises) stress, equivalent elastic strain, and specific energy absorption. The results revealed that the CFRP bumper exhibited superior crash performance, demonstrating high energy absorption capacity and reduced deformation with minimal structural mass. Aluminium provided a balanced performance with moderate strength and significant weight savings, while mild steel offered excellent strength and rigidity but at the expense of higher mass. Overall, the study concludes that selecting suitable materials is essential for optimizing safety, weight efficiency, and structural integrity in modern automotive bumper systems.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Crashworthiness Analysis of Automotive Frontal Bumper Materials AU - Bakari Momba Ramadhan AU - Benjamin William Ndimila AU - Isaac Itekulana Mwesigwa Y1 - 2025/10/30 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12 T2 - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications JF - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications JO - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications SP - 157 EP - 169 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-0248 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20251305.12 AB - The crashworthiness of automotive frontal bumper systems plays a crucial role in improving vehicle safety by reducing impact forces transmitted to occupants during collisions. This research presents a comprehensive simulation-based analysis of bumper materials, including Aluminium Alloy (AA6061-T6), Mild Steel (AISI 1018), and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), to assess their performance in terms of energy absorption, deformation, and stress distribution under frontal impact conditions. The study involves developing a detailed finite element model using ANSYS/Workbench to replicate a saloon car bumper subjected to a collision velocity of 15.56 m/s, consistent with NCAP test standards. Through rigorous computational analysis, the materials were compared based on crashworthiness indicators such as total deformation, equivalent (von Mises) stress, equivalent elastic strain, and specific energy absorption. The results revealed that the CFRP bumper exhibited superior crash performance, demonstrating high energy absorption capacity and reduced deformation with minimal structural mass. Aluminium provided a balanced performance with moderate strength and significant weight savings, while mild steel offered excellent strength and rigidity but at the expense of higher mass. Overall, the study concludes that selecting suitable materials is essential for optimizing safety, weight efficiency, and structural integrity in modern automotive bumper systems. VL - 13 IS - 5 ER -
Department of Research and Designing, Tanzania Engineering and Manufacturing Design Organization, Arusha, Tanzania
Department of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Transport, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
Department of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Transport, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
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