Component and Full Scale Tests for Suspension Model Validation

The National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) at the George Washington University (GWU) has been developing and maintaining a public domain library of LS-DYNA finite element (FE) vehicle models for use in transportation safety research. The recent addition to the FE model library is the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado FE model. This FE model will be extensively used in roadside hardware safety research. The representation of the suspension components and its response in oblique impacts into roadside hardware are critical factors influencing the predictive capability of the FE model. To improve the FE model fidelity and applicability to the roadside hardware impact scenarios it is important to validate and verify the model to multitude of component and full scale tests. This paper provides detailed description of the various component and full scale tests that were performed, specifically, to validate the suspension model of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado FE model.