COMPATIBILITY - THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CARS IN FRONTAL IMPACT

On behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), TRL is investigating the compatibility of cars in frontal and side impact. This work is being used to support the European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) and the International Harmonisation of Research Activities (IHRA) compatibility working groups. The aim of the project is to develop crash evaluation procedures that are capable of assessing and controlling compatibility in car to car collisions. For frontal impact, full scale crash testing, accident analysis and supportive finite element modelling studies have been used to identify the major factors that influence compatibility. Having achieved this, the next step is to control the global stiffness of the cars to enusre that they are able to absorb the collision energy with minimal occupant compartment intrusion without compromising the vehicle's deceleration profile. This fundamental understanding is being developed towards frontal impact evaluation procedures, which use load cell wall measurements to assess vehicle compatibility. The current state of development of possible procedures is described. Procedures to assess side impact compatibility may be added following further research. (A)