Kristin Staffas: CAE Sun Simulation - Thermo Structural Coupling

Abstract

Deformation of materials due to heat exposure can be a challenge in vehicle design. Sun exposure and heat build up in the vehicle cabin contribute to accelerated aging of the materials used. To understand how this process affects the durability, numerical simulation is an important tool.

This thesis work investigates whether it is possible to, with weather data and knowledge of how a car is used, simulate the deformation process of the trim parts due to heat exposure from the sun. To answer this question, two simulation methods have been compared: The first method is to only look at the aging of the material over time. This method is used today at Volvo Cars, but has been found to be insufficient from a number of aspects. The second method includes the effects of the reversible deformations. This method has not previously been tested in a similar context but was considered interesting as it models more true to life. In addition, the effects of modeling the car according to a virtual customer behavior, rather than stationary, were investigated. The main simulation tools used are TAITherm and Abaqus.

The results show that modeling the vehicle with an imagined user routine yields a lower mean temperature as the car is cooled down when driven. The result of the comparison between the two methods shows that inclusion of the effects of the reversible deformations contribute to a better model of the aging of the trim parts due to heat exposure from the sun.