This thesis deals with the possibility of applying the method of Design of Experiments (DoE) on specific data. In the first chapter of theoretical part, this method is described in detail. The basic principles and guidelines for the design of the experiment are written there. In the next two chapters, factorial design of the experiment and response surface design are described. The latter one includes a central composite design and Box-Behnken design. The following chapter contains practical part, which focuses on modelling firing range of ball from a catapult using the above three types of experimental design. In this work, the models are analysed together with their different characteristics. Their comparison is made by using prediction and confidence intervals and by response optimizing. The last part of the thesis comprises overall evaluation.

The objectives for this dissertation are to push forward the current state of knowledge in the area of machining fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). The most common machining operation performed on these materials is drilling owing to the need for component assembly in mechanical pieces and structures. Among the defects caused by drilling, delamination appears as to be of the most critical and may occur at both the entrance and exit plane. A number of theoretical and experimental studies have been made to create an analytical model of delamination in composite laminates. In this dissertation, the critical thrust force (force which initiates the delamination) is predicted using linear elastic fracture mechanics - assuming Mode I. Delamination is investigated by studying the evolution of feed force and torque applied by the tool on the workpiece. A four components piezoelectric dynamometer KISTLER 9272 with special PC-software is used for measuring and evaluating of torque and cutting forces, when drilling two different composite materials: carbon/epoxy laminate fabricated by hand lay-up technique and glass/polyester composite made by pultrusion. Wear mechanisms and location of the wear on the tool are also investigated (with respect to cutting material). The tool wear is measured with help of a common workshop microscope and recorded with scanning electron microscope PHILIPS XL30. Drilling experiments are performed to give complex technical information (i.e. cutting conditions, tool geometry, tool wear and so on) which enables efficient machining of composite materials. Delamination-free drilling is given special emphasis in the experiments. Methods of statistical analysis (DOE) are used to determine which factors have the most influence on delamination.

Scania are known among to be the world’s leading supplier of transport solutions for heavy trucks and buses. Scania’s goal is to develop combustion engines that achieve low-pollutant emissions as well as lower carbon-footprint with higher efficiency. To achieve the above Scania has invested resources in Simulation Driven Design of parametric CAD models which drives design innovation rather than following the design. This enables in creating flexible and robust models in their design process. This master thesis is being conducted in collaboration with Scania exhaust after treatment systems department, focusing on developing a methodology to automatically evaluate the cost and manufacturability of a parametric model, which is intended for an agile working environment with fast iterations within Scania. From the thesis methodology’s data collection process literature study, former thesis work and interviews with designers and cost engineers at Scania, a proposed method is developed that can be implemented during the design process. The method involved four different phase they are Design phase, Analysis phase, Validation phase and Improvement phase. The proposed method is evaluated to check the method feasibility for evaluation on parameteric CAD parts for manufacturability and costing. This proposed method is applied on two different parts of a silencer as part of a case study which is mainly to evaluate the results from Improvement phase. The focus of this thesis is to realise the proposed method through simulation software like sheet metal stamping/forming simulation, cost evaluating tool where the simulation driven design process is achieved. This is done with the help of collaboration between parameteric CAD models and the above simulation software under a common MDO framework through DOE study run or optimisation study runs. The resultant designs is later considered to be improved design in terms of manufacturability and costing.

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is an emerging joining technology in which basic process understanding is still inadequate. Knowledge of FSW parameter relationships is needed to better understand the process and implement proper machine control. This study utilized a 3-factor, 3-level factorial design of experiments to investigate relationships between key process inputs and measured output parameters. All experiments utilized 7075-T7 aluminum and a threaded pin tool with a 25.4 mm shoulder diameter, 4.76 mm pin length, and 7.9 mm pin diameter. Spindle speed, feed rate, and tool depth were varied throughout 54 welds while X, Y, and Z forces, X torque, three tool temperatures, and motor power were measured. Empirical models were developed to relate outputs to inputs. The relationships between inputs and outputs are nonlinear and require, at a minimum, a quadratic equation to reasonably model them. These models were further analyzed to explore possible control schemes. Tool depth was found to be the most fundamental means of controlling weld forces and tool temperatures. This research describes the input/output relationships enumerated above for FSW as well as a discussion of possible control schemes.

Nanomaterials have attracted substantial attention in the area of catalysis due to the unique properties they exhibit such as high surface areas, intricate pore networks and unique morphologies. TiO2 has attracted attention as a catalyst since the discovery of its high photocatalytic activity by Fuishima and Honda in 1972. Given its high thermal stability, low cost, low environmental impact, and versatility, TiO2 is a widely used commercial catalyst and catalyst support. TiO2 is used in many applications such as photocatalysis is also an excellent support material for noble metals in a number of oxidative synthesis and pollution-control reactions. Though TiO2 is a widely used catalyst support, currently available commercial titanias often have low surface area and poor thermal and hydrothermal stability. While several methods reported in literature produce materials of higher surface area and more ideal porosity relative to commercially available titanias, these procedures generally involve inherent drawbacks including time-consuming, complicated, and expensive processes that are not industrially viable. Cost-effective, large-scale preparations of stable, high surface area, mesoporous TiO2 need to be developed. The work in this dissertation focuses on (1) producing high surface area stabilized TiO2 supports of controlled pore diameters and (2) the preparation of well dispersed Pt on these supports using industrially viable processes. The effects of dopants Al, La, Si, and Zr on the stability, surface area, and porosity of anatase TiO2 supports were investigated. Results show that dopants increased the surface area and thermal stability of anatase through structural modifications and grain growth inhibition. Stabilized titanias produced by this method demonstrated equivalent or higher thermal stability and surface area compared with pure anatase and previously reported materials after treatment at 400°C and 700°C including 22 mol% Al-TiO2 calcined at 400°C which had a surface area of 479 ± 39 m2/g, a pore volume of 0.46 ± 0.04 cm3/g, and a pore diameter of 2.9 ± 0.2 nm. Ten synthesis variables were examined and optimized using statistically designed experiments (DOEs). Equations were developed to predict the conditions to obtain the highest surface area and pore volume at the desired pore diameter and predict the pore diameter range that may be obtained for aluminum-modified anatase TiO2. Confirmation trials closely matched predicted surface areas, pore volumes, and pore diameters in all but one trial, demonstrating the power of DOEs in identifying and controlling synthesis variables in relatively few experiments. The structure of Al-modified anatase TiO2 was analyzed to determine the mechanism of Al stabilization. Surface Al stabilized TiO2 by lowering anatase surface energy, stabilizing planes of high surface energy which would otherwise join to achieve stabilization. Al in TiO2 lattice vacancies stabilized TiO2 through increasing lattice strain and limiting mass transport necessary for grain growth. Results demonstrate the importance of structure analysis of doped nanomaterials in the development of stabilized catalysts and catalyst supports. An industrially viable, one-pot synthesis of Pt supported on 22 mol% Al-modified anatase is presented. Pt dispersions as high as 54% (one-pot method) and 59% (DI method) have been obtained. Results show that this one-pot method and the DI method using our Al-modified supports are promising syntheses of highly dispersed Pt catalysts and demonstrate that the alumina-stabilized anatase support is superior to other many available anatase supports.

Detab is a company in Jönköping that develops systems for feeding parts for robots and packaging processes. To control the flow of parts on their vibratory feeders, Detab uses different carpets with angled straws. The two mainly used carpets have been discontinued and must now be replaced. A newly emerged option is a contender in replacing one of the carpets. The new white carpet is completely additively manufactured. To compare the old carpet and the new carpet, data is needed to show how different settings affect the flow of the parts. Through design of experiments and response surface methods, tests can be performed in a systematic and mathematical way compare the performance of different settings. Some basic parameters were defined to begin the investigation of which design of experiments method would be used to best compare the carpets. The parameters defined where the parts that would be used in the tests, the factors that were to be adjusted during the tests, the maximum and minimum values of the selected factors and how the results would be measured. Different methods were tested, and finally optimal design was chosen and executed using the program Design-Expert. The completed tests resulted in response surfaces that were constructed using Design-Expert. These response surfaces were analyzed and several similarities and differences between the different carpets were observed. Primarily, it was found that the green carpet had more settings that resulted in a flow above 0 parts/minute. Using Design-Expert, the response surfaces could be analyzed to find the optimal settings and their expected response. These points and more were then compared with tests performed afterwards to see if the expected values matched reality. It turned out that there were some uncertainties in how well the surfaces could predict the response in comparison with reality. Based on the experiments carried out, recommendations were made on how the company should proceed to be able to assess whether the new carpet is worth using in future construction of their machines.

[ES] En la presente Tesis Doctoral se investigó la aplicación del proceso de ultrafiltración (UF) y el fenómeno de ensuciamiento de las membranas en la eliminación de sustancias disueltas y coloidales (DCS) de efluentes tratados de la industria papelera (PMTE) para su reutilización en los diferentes procesos de fabricación de papel y cartón reciclado. El objetivo general de esta investigación se dividió en tres partes principales: i) describe cómo encontrar las condiciones óptimas de operación de cuatro parámetros de proceso: presión transmembrana (TMP), velocidad de flujo cruzado (CFV), temperatura y corte de peso molecular (MWCO) para maximizar el flujo promedio de permeado (Jp) y rechazo de la demanda química de oxígeno (COD) y minimizar el descenso del flujo de permeado acumulado (SFD) utilizando el método de Taguchi (Design Robusto) y utility concept aplicado a un proceso de UF a flujo cruzado, para remover DCS de efluentes tratados de la industria papelera, ii) el descenso del flujo de permeado y los mecanismos de ensuciamiento de las membranas de UF ensuciadas con PMTE se examinaron mediante modelos matemáticos semi-empíricos. Los resultados para los diferentes ensayos de UF se expresaron en términos de variación del Jp en función del tiempo para verificar la precisión del ajuste (mayor valor de R2 y menor valor de desviación estándar) de los distintos modelos de Hermia adaptados a flujo tangencial y del modelo de formación de torta en filtración a presión constante ajustados a los datos experimentales, y iii) describe métodos de identificación, caracterización y posibles orígenes de las sustancias contaminantes (foulants) en las membranas de UF. Técnicas como el análisis físico-química, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR y 3DEEM se llevaron a cabo para comprender qué fracción de los contaminantes son responsables por la formación de incrustaciones en las membranas. Los resultados obtenidos durante la etapa de optimización de parámetros del procesos demostraron que TMP y MWCO tienen la mayor contribución en el Jp y SFD. En el caso de la tasa de rechazo de COD, los resultados mostraron que MWCO tiene la mayor contribución seguida de CFV. Por consiguiente, las condiciones óptimas se encontraron para el segundo nivel de TMP (2.0 bar), el tercer nivel del CFV (1.041 m/s), el segundo nivel de la temperatura (15°C) y el tercer nivel de MWCO (100 kDa). Bajo estas condiciones óptimas de operación Jp, rechazo de COD y SFD alcanzaron respuestas de 81.15 L/m2.h, 43.90% y 6.01 (alrededor de 28.96 % para (FD), respectivamente, valores dentro del rango previsto del intervalo de confianza del 95%. Además, los modelos de Hermia adaptados a UF en flujo tangencial fueron capaces de predecir con gran precisión el descenso del Jp y los mecanismos de ensuciamiento en función del tiempo para todas las membranas seleccionadas (10, 30 y 100 kDa) y bajo diferentes condiciones ensayadas de UF. Por lo tanto, los modelos que presentan un mayor grado de ajuste son el bloqueo completo de poros (coeficiente de determinación R2 >0.97) y bloqueo intermedio (R2 >0.96), seguido por el modelo de formación de torta (R2 >0.94), lo que indica que estés son los principales mecanismos de ensuciamiento de las membranas. Análisis de 3DEEM revelaron que la mayoría de la materia orgánica fluorescentes en las membranas sucias eran proteínas coloidales (componentes similares a proteínas I + II) y proteínas macromoleculares (componentes similares a SMP). Además, polisacáridos (especie celulósica) y sustancias como ácidos grasos y resinosos fueron identificadas en las membranas contaminadas mediante análisis ATR-FTIR. Por fin, análisis SEM-EDS para las membranas ensuciadas con PMTE se detectó concentración de contaminantes inorgánicos (iones metálicos multivalentes) especialmente el Ca2+ que podría acelerar la formación torta en la superficie de la membrana. / [CA] En la present Tesi Doctoral es va investigar l'aplicació del procés d'ultrafiltració (UF) i el fenomen d'embrutiment de les membranes en l'eliminació de substàncies dissoltes i col·loïdals (DCS) d'efluents tractats de la indústria paperera (PMTE) per al seu reutilització en els diferents processos de fabricació de paper i cartó reciclatge. L'objectiu general d'aquesta investigació es va dividir en tres parts principals: i) descriu com trobar les condicions òptimes d'operació de quatre paràmetres de procés: pressió transmembrana (TMP), velocitat de flux creuat (CFV), temperatura i tall de pes molecular (MWCO) per a maximitzar el flux mitjà de permeat (Jp) i rebuig de la demanda química d'oxigen (COD) i minimitzar el descens del flux de permeado acumulat (SFD) utilitzant el mètode de Taguchi (Design Robust) i utility concept aplicat a un procés de UF a flux creuat en escala pilot, per a remoure DCS d'efluents tractats de la indústria paperera (PMTE), ii) el descens del flux de permeat i els mecanismes de embrutiment (fouling) de les membranes de UF embrutades amb PMTE es van examinar mitjançant models matemàtics semi-empírics. Els resultats per als diferents assajos de UF es van expressar en termes de variació del flux de permeat (Jp) en funció del temps per a verificar la precisió de l'ajust (major valor de R2 i menor valor de desviació estàndard) dels diferents models de Hermia adaptats a flux tangencial i del model de formació de coca en filtració a pressió constant ajustats a les dades experimentals, i iii) descriu mètodes d'identificació, caracterització i possibles orígens de les substàncies contaminants (foulants) en les membranes de UF. Tècniques com l'anàlisi física-química, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR i 3DEEM es van dur a terme per a comprendre quina fracció dels contaminants són responsables per la formació d'incrustacions sobre la superfície i adsorció dins dels porus de les membranes. Els resultats obtinguts durant l'etapa d'optimització de paràmetres del processos van demostrar que TMP i MWCO tenen la major contribució en el Jp i SFD. En el cas de la taxa de rebuig de COD, els resultats van mostrar que MWCO té la major contribució seguida de CFV. Per consegüent, les condicions òptimes es van trobar per al segon nivell de TMP (2.0 bar), el tercer nivell del CFV (1.041 m/s), el segon nivell de la temperatura (15°C) i el tercer nivell de MWCO (100 kDa). Sota aquestes condicions òptimes d'operació Jp, rebuig de COD i SFD van aconseguir respostes de 81.15 L/m².h, 43.90% i 6.01 (al voltant de 28.96% per a (FD)), respectivament, valors dins del rang previst de l'interval de confiança del 95%. A més, els models de Hermia adaptats a UF en flux tangencial van ser capaços de predir amb gran precisió el descens del Jp i els mecanismes de embrutiment en funció del temps per a totes les membranes seleccionades (10, 30 i 100 kDa) i baix diferents condicions assajades de UF. Per tant, els models que presenten un major grau d'ajust són el bloqueig complet de porus (coeficient de determinació R2 >0.97) i bloqueig intermedi (R2 >0.96), seguit pel model de formació de coca (R2 >0.94), la qual cosa indica que estigues són els principals mecanismes de embrutiment de les membranes. Anàlisi de 3DEEM van revelar que la majoria de la matèria orgànica fluorescents en les membranes brutes eren proteïnes col·loidals (components similars a proteïnes I + II) i proteïnes macromoleculars (components similars a SMP). A més, polisacàrids (espècie cel·lulòsica) i substàncies com a àcids grassos i resinosos van ser identificades en les membranes contaminades mitjançant anàlisis ATR-FTIR, tals substàncies exerceixen un paper important en el embrutiment de les membranes. Per fi, anàlisi SEM-EDS per a les membranes embrutades amb PMTE es va detectar concentració de contaminants inorgànics (ions metàl·lics multivalents) especialment el Ca2+ que podria accelerar la formació coca en la àrea de la membrana. / [EN] In this PhD Thesis, the application of ultrafiltration process (UF) and membrane fouling phenomenon used to remove dissolved and colloidal substances (DCS) from paper mill treated effluent (PMTE) for reuse in different recycled paper and cardboard manufacturing processes was investigated. The overall goal of this research has been divided into three main parts: i) describes how to find optimal operating conditions of four controlling parameters, such as transmembrane pressure (TMP), cross-flow velocity (CFV), temperature and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) for maximizing the average permeate flux (Jp) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) rejection, and minimizing the cumulative flux decline (SFD) using Taguchi method and utility concept for a cross-flow UF in pilot scale, used to remove DCS from a paper mill treated effluent (PMTE), ii) flux decline and fouling mechanisms of UF membranes fouled with PMTE were examined by theoretical modelling. The results from UF tests were expressed in terms of permeate flux (Jp) as a function of time to check modified Hermia's models adapted to crossflow filtration and cake formation in constant-pressure filtration, and iii) describes the Identification, characterization and possible origins of UF membrane foulants. Techniques such as chemical analysis, FESEM, SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR and 3DEEM analysis were applied to understand which fraction of the foulants caused the fouling. This research found that the TMP and MWCO have the greatest contribution to the average permeate flux and SFD. In the case of the COD rejection rate, the results showed that MWCO has the highest contribution followed by CFV. The optimum conditions were found to be the second level of TMP (2.0 bar), the third level of the CFV (1.041 m/s), the second level of the temperature (15°C), and the third level of MWCO (100 kDa). Under these optimum conditions Jp, COD rejection and SFD resistance of 81.15 L/m2/h, 43.90% and 6.01 (around 28.96 % of (FD), respectively, were obtained and they were within of the predicted range at the 95% confidence interval. Furthermore, the results showed that the predictions of the modified Hermia's models adapted to cross-flow UF had good agreements with experimental data, under different conditions tested for PMTE. Therefore, it can be concluded that for all cases the best fit (higher accuracy) to the experimental data corresponds to the complete (coefficient of determination R2 >0.97) and intermediate (R2 >0.96) blocking, followed by the cake layer formation (R2 >0.94). Moreover, measurements of particle size distribution and zeta potential near the isoelectric point, showed a substantial reduction in colloidal compounds. The 3DEEM analysis revealed that the majority of the organic foulants with fluorescence characteristics on the fouled membranes were colloidal proteins (protein-like substances I+II) and macromolecular proteins (SMP-like substances). Further, polysaccharide (cellulosic specie), fatty and resin acid substances were identified on the fouled membrane by the ATR-FTIR analysis and they play an important role in membrane fouling. In addition, the membrane SEM-EDS analysis showed accumulate and adsorbed onto the membrane surfaces of inorganic foulants, such as multivalent metal ions and especially Ca2+ (acts as a binding agent) that could accelerate cake layer formation on the membrane. / Santos Sousa, MR. (2020). Optimization of Operation Parameters in Ultrafiltration by Experiment Design, Mathematical Modelling and Fouling Characterization of the Membranes Used to Remove Dissolved and Colloidal Substances from a Treated Paper Mill Effluent [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/155975

Work in this dissertation is motivated by reducing the design cost at the early design stage while maintaining high design accuracy throughout all design stages. It presents four key design methods to improve the performance of Efficient Global Optimization for multidisciplinary problems. First, a fidelity-calibration method is developed and applied to lower-fidelity samples. Function values analyzed by lower fidelity analysis methods are updated to have equivalent accuracy to that of the highest fidelity samples, and these calibrated data sets are used to construct a variable-fidelity Kriging model. For the design of experiment (DOE), a dynamic sampling method is developed and includes filtering and infilling data based on mathematical criteria on the model accuracy. In the sample infilling process, multi-objective optimization for exploitation and exploration of design space is carried out. To indicate the fidelity of function analysis for additional samples in the variable-fidelity Kriging model, a dynamic fidelity indicator with the overlapping coefficient is proposed. For the multidisciplinary design problems, where multiple physics are tightly coupled with different coupling strengths, multi-response Kriging model is introduced and utilizes the method of iterative Maximum Likelihood Estimation (iMLE). Through the iMLE process, a large number of hyper-parameters in multi-response Kriging can be calculated with great accuracy and improved numerical stability. The optimization methods developed in the study are validated with analytic functions and showed considerable performance improvement. Consequentially, three practical design optimization problems of NACA0012 airfoil, Multi-element NLR 7301 airfoil, and all-moving-wingtip control surface of tailless aircraft are performed, respectively. The results are compared with those of existing methods, and it is concluded that these methods guarantee the equivalent design accuracy at computational cost reduced significantly. / Doctor of Philosophy / In recent years, as the cost of aircraft design is growing rapidly, and aviation industry is interested in saving time and cost for the design, an accurate design result during the early design stages is particularly important to reduce overall life cycle cost. The purpose of the work to reducing the design cost at the early design stage with design accuracy as high as that of the detailed design. The method of an efficient global optimization (EGO) with variable-fidelity analysis and multidisciplinary design is proposed. Using the variable-fidelity analysis for the function evaluation, high fidelity function evaluations can be replaced by low-fidelity analyses of equivalent accuracy, which leads to considerable cost reduction. As the aircraft system has sub-disciplines coupled by multiple physics, including aerodynamics, structures, and thermodynamics, the accuracy of an individual discipline affects that of all others, and thus the design accuracy during in the early design states. Four distinctive design methods are developed and implemented into the standard Efficient Global Optimization (EGO) framework: 1) the variable-fidelity analysis based on error approximation and calibration of low-fidelity samples, 2) dynamic sampling criteria for both filtering and infilling samples, 3) a dynamic fidelity indicator (DFI) for the selection of analysis fidelity for infilled samples, and 4) Multi-response Kriging model with an iterative Maximum Likelihood estimation (iMLE). The methods are validated with analytic functions, and the improvement in cost efficiency through the overall design process is observed, while maintaining the design accuracy, by a comparison with existing design methods. For the practical applications, the methods are applied to the design optimization of airfoil and complete aircraft configuration, respectively. The design results are compared with those by existing methods, and it is found the method results design results of accuracies equivalent to or higher than high-fidelity analysis-alone design at cost reduced by orders of magnitude.

This dissertation presents an empirical approach to identifying decisions for adapting cognitive radio parameters with no a priori knowledge of the environment. Cognitively inspired radios, attempt to combine observed metrics of system performance with artificial intelligence decision-making algorithms. Current architectures trend towards hybrid combinations of heuristics, such as genetic algorithms (GA) and experiential methods, such as case-based reasoning (CBR). A weakness in the GA is its reliance on limited mathematical models for estimating bit error rate, packet error rate, throughput, and signal-to-noise ratio. The CBR approach is similarly limited by its dependency on past experiences. Both methods have potential to suffer in environments not previously encountered. In contrast, the statistical methods identify performance estimation models based on exercising defined experimental designs. This represents an experiential decision-making process formed in the present rather than the past. There are three core contributions from this empirical framework: 1) it enables a new approach to decision making based on empirical estimation models of system performance, 2) it provides a systematic method for initializing cognitive engine configuration parameters, and 3) it facilitates deeper understanding of system behavior by quantifying parameter significance, and interaction effects. Ultimately, this understanding enables simplification of system models by identifying insignificant parameters. This dissertation defines an abstract framework that enables application of statistical approaches to cognitive radio systems regardless of its platform or application space. Specifically, it assesses factorial design of experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) to an over-the-air wireless radio link. Results are compared to a benchmark GA cognitive engine. The framework is then used for identifying software-defined radio initialization settings. Taguchi designs, a related statistical method, are implemented to identify initialization settings of a GA. / Ph. D.

Airbags are a passive safety technology, required to function with zero failure rate. Advances in Computer Aided Engineering have allowed vehicle manufacturers to predict material and system behavior in the event of a crash. The sudden and rapid nature of a vehicle frontal crash, together with strict requirements put on safety make this a sensitive task. This thesis focuses on the front passenger airbag deployment and the instrument panel’s response. Various airbag modelling techniques are studied and presented in this document. This work is part of a larger-scale attempt to model a generic-sled that is physically representative of a real vehicle. Various component tests are to be performed in the sled environment, as opposed to a real vehicle, to save costs. Various modules are added to the sled once their behavior is verified by testing and in simulations. Software are advanced enough to identify location and magnitude of stress concentrations that develop during crash. LS-DYNA is used for explicit finite element simulations of the instrument panel (IP) in question with different airbag models. Verification has been achieved by design of experiment (DOE); with tests conducted to capture both the movements of the airbag housing and IP movements in response. These movements are broken down in various phases, facilitating implementation in the sled environment. Simplifications are made both to the computer models as well as the physical testing environment. The effects of these simplifications are quantified and discussed. Theoretical background is provided where fit while assumptions are justified wherever made. DYNAmore recommendations regarding costeffective calculations as well as result verification are followed. The obtained results show that the FE models replicate the real event with acceptable precision. The findings in this work can, by minor tweaks, be implemented on other IP models in the Volvo Cars range, leading to cost-saving solutions. This thesis provides the necessary information for sled implementations as well as future improvement suggestions. / Krockkudde är en s.k. passiv säkerhetsteknik som krävs att fungera felfritt. Framsteg inom Computer Aided Engineering har tillåtit biltillverkare att förutsäga material och systembeteende i samband med krock. Den plötsliga karaktären av krock, tillsammans med höga säkerhetskrav, gör detta till en känslig uppgift. Denna avhandling fokuserar på passagerarsidans krockkudde och instrumentbrädans (IP) respons under uppblåsning. Olika metoder för modellering av krockkuddar har studerats och presenteras i detta dokument. Arbetet är en del av en större skala försök att modellera en generisk-släde som är fysiskt representativ av en riktig bil; där olika komponent-tester skall utföras för att minska kostnader. När olika modulers beteende verifieras läggs de till släden. Denna verifiering sker genom finita element (FE) simuleringar så väl som fysiska tester. FE mjukvara är idag tillräckligt avancerad för att identifiera samt visualisera spänningskoncentrationer som uppstår i en konstruktion vid krock. LS-DYNA används i detta arbete för explicita FE simuleringar av en Volvo XC90 IP, lastad med olika krockkudde-modeller. Modell verifiering har uppnåtts genom försöksplanering (DOE); med tester utförda för att fånga rörelser av IP så väl som krockkudde-behållaren. Dessa rörelser är sedan uppdelade i olika faser för enklare genomförande i släde miljön. Förenklingar och antaganden görs både till FE modeller och fysiska testmiljön. Effekter av dessa har kvantifierats och relevant teoretisk bakgrund har inkluderats. Dokumentet innehåller även diskussion kring val av mätutrustning samt förbättringsförslag för fortsatt arbete. DYNAmore rekommendationer gällande kostnadseffektiva beräkningar och verifiering av simulerings-resultat har följts. Under arbetet visade sig att FE modellerna kan återskapa händelsen med hög noggrannhet; dessa trotts svårigheter i modellering av plast material. Möjligtvis kan man, genom mindre modifieringar, relatera slutsatserna i detta arbete till olika IP modeller i företagets produktkatalog vilket förmodligen leder till ytterligare kostnadsbesparingar. Denna avhandling ger den information som behövs för genomföranden i den generiska miljön.