A study on energy absorption panel of bumper based on impact of pedestrian´s lower leg

Considering the narrow space between the bumper and the outside skin, the filling foam can´t be satisfied with the high standard requirements of pedestrian protection regulations. A scheme is proposed in this paper that using an energy absorption panel (EAP) to replaces the filling foam. Firstly, an impact model of collision between the car and a lower leg is built according to Euro NCAP regulations and verified by simulation and test. Secondly, the filling foam is replaced by an EAP and a full factorial experiment is designed. On this base, the influence law of energy absorption for panel material properties and thickness on crash result was obtained. Studies show that: (1) the replacement is a feasible program to obtain better effect of pedestrian protection; (2) the lower yield strength and thinner panel is not necessarily to obtain the better effect, which can be achieved only by reasonable matching between different material strength and panel thickness.