This thesis presents a pro–active research work motivated by the prospect of the imminent implementation of the regulatory requirement for pedestrian protection, Global Technical Regulation–9 (GTR–9) (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 1998) in the near future. To meet the performance criteria for pedestrian protection head impact, it is vital to incorporate the required design parameters into the hood design process at an early stage. These main design parameters are architectural and changing them late in the vehicle design process is very expensive and difficult to implement. |
