Road safety in Europe has increased significantly in recent decades and, particularly since the beginning of the 1990's, passenger vehicle occupants have benefited from this. One of the major factors influencing occupant safety is the self-protection offered by the vehicle because this plays a role in all collisions, regardless of severity or collision partner. A much smaller role is played by partner-protection because it only influences the outcome of a car-to-car collision. Car-to-car collisions occur relatively frequently compared to singlevehicle or car-to-truck/bus collisions, but are less often fatal. A compatible car exhibits a high level of self-protection without being aggressive to other road users, therefore affording them a high level of partner-protection. Any future assessment of compatibility must aim to increase partner-protection without leading to any reduction in the current level of self-protection. The main factors that influence compatibility are mass-ratio, front-end forces, compartment strength and structural interaction. Mass-ratio incompatibility cannot be prevented because it is driven by different people's requirements for small or large vehicles. There is only limited scope for improving front-end force compatibility because front-end forces play a role in ensuring self-protection. Compartment strength is an essential aspect of self-protection and must not be compromised. Structural interaction has the potential to further improve the use of deformation energy available in a vehicle's front-end structures without leading to a decrease in self-protection. This may be achieved by encouraging the convergence of crash structures in all road vehicles and infrastructure towards a common interaction zone. The Progressive Deformable Barrier (PDB) poses a threat to the current level of selfprotection. The large quantity of theoretically available deformation energy in the barrier means that a vehicle up to a weight of 1524 kg would not need to deform itself. The Full Width Deformable Barrier (FWDB) is appropriate for introduction as a restraint system test and is able to encourage the vertical alignment of primary or secondary structures within an interaction zone.
Assessment of compatibility for both self- and partner- protection
2007
36 Seiten, 26 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 29 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Assessment fo compatibility for both self-protection and partner-protection
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