Simulation an‎d optimization of the side crash behavior of a c-class electric vehicle with an aluminum body

10/22/2026 12:00:00 AM

This study aims to enhance side-impact safety in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by modeling an‎d eva‎luating the structural behavior of an aluminum rocker within an integrated CAD–FEA workflow based on CATIA, ANSA, an‎d LS-DYNA. The baseline geometry was derived from contemporary industry platforms (including SEPA 2.0). Three reference layouts were examined: a lattice-type section inspired by the XPENG G6, a tapered-end section resembling the Tesla Model Y, an‎d a section with aligned diagonal stiffeners consistent with MEB-style solutions. Building on these, a proposed design featuring crossed diagonal stiffeners was introduced to promote more uniform stress distribution an‎d delay local buckling. Realistic boundary an‎d contact conditions were applied. Shell meshing with ~5 mm elements an‎d spot-weld definitions along the rocker-to-floor cross-member interfaces were used. The numerical test program comprised three-point bending (to assess bending stiffness an‎d obtain force–displacement curves) an‎d a quasi-static side-impact simulation with sensitivity to strain-rate effects. Primary outputs—including force–displacement responses, buckling modes, specific energy absorption (SEA), an‎d mean crushing force (MCF)—were used for comparison. Results show that the proposed concept maintains manufacturability, improves load distribution, mitigates premature wall buckling, an‎d achieves a meaningful increase in energy-absorption capacity an‎d lateral stiffness relative to the baseline. At the same time, rocker mass decreased from 8.60 kg to 5.37 kg, corresponding to a 37.56% weight reduction. These findings indicate that targeted section design an‎d reinforcement paths in the rocker can simultaneously satisfy lightweighting an‎d side-impact safety requirements—particularly for battery-pack protection—in BEVs.

خودروي برقي , ركاب جانبي

electric vehicle , side rocker

Seyed Alireza Sheida

Abolfazl Khalkhali