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To examine factors influencing side impact compatibility, as a first step, car-to-car tests were conducted to investigate the effect of sill interaction. As a result, it was found that sill interaction had a less significant effect on side impact performance than reducing the load aligned with the dummy. In addition, a series of Mobile Deformable Barrier (MDB) tests were performed to corroborate the conclusions of the car-to-car tests. Comparison of the results of these MDB tests showed that the effect of reducing loading aligned with the driver dummy is more significant than that of engagement with the target car's sill, which is consistent with the car-to-car test results.

This paper investigates test procedures for vehicle frontal crash compatibility. Both Full Width Deformable Barrier (FWDB) tests and Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB) tests were studied to assess relevant factors of compatibility issues. The FWDB test with load cells was examined to evaluate the stiffness and interaction areas of vehicles (sometimes referred to as the “aggressivity” of vehicles). Compatibility metrics were computed using barrier load cell data and the output from the FWDB test was compared with that from the Full Width Rigid Barrier (FWRB) test. Since the results obtained from these two full width tests were considerably different, a full frontal vehicle-to-vehicle test was carried out to identify structural deformation modes. The results indicated that similar deformation modes were observed between the vehicle-to-vehicle test and the FWDB test.

In order to minimize occupant injury in a vehicle collision, an approach was attempted to address this issue by optimizing the waveform of the vehicle body deceleration to reduce the maximum deceleration applied to the occupant. A previous study has shown that the mathematical solution to the optimal vehicle deceleration waveform comprised three stages: high deceleration, negative deceleration, and constant deceleration. A kinematic model with separated mass of the vehicle was devised to generate the optimal vehicle deceleration waveform comprising three stages including a one with negative deceleration in the middle. The validity of this model has been confirmed by a mathematical study on a one-dimensional lumped mass model. The optimal vehicle deceleration waveform generated by this method was then validated by a three-dimensional dummy simulation.

Computer simulations, dummy experiments with a new enhanced upper extremity, and small female cadaver experiments were used to analyze the small female upper extremity response under side air bag loading. After establishing the initial position, three tests were performed with the 5th percentile female hybrid III dummy, and six experiments with small female cadaver subjects. A new 5th percentile female enhanced upper extremity was developed for the dummy experiments that included a two-axis wrist load cell in addition to the existing six-axis load cells in both the forearm and humerus. Forearm pronation was also included in the new dummy upper extremity to increase the biofidelity of the interaction with the handgrip. Instrumentation for both the cadaver and dummy tests included accelerometers and magnetohydrodynamic angular rate sensors on the forearm, humerus, upper and lower spine.

In order to minimize occupant injury in a vehicle crash, an approach was attempted to address this issue by making the wave form of vehicle body deceleration optimal to lower the maximum value of the occupant deceleration. Prior study shows that the mathematical solutions for the optimal vehicle deceleration wave form feature consisting of three aspects: high deceleration, negative deceleration, and constant deceleration. A kinematical model which has separated mass of the vehicle was devised to generate an optimal vehicle deceleration wave form which consists of three segments including a segment of negative deceleration in the middle. The validity of this model has been certified by a mathematical study by using a one-dimensional lumped mass model. The effectiveness of the optimal vehicle deceleration wave form generated by this method was validated by a simulation with a three-dimensional dummy.

Injury assessment by using a whole-body pedestrian dummy is one of the ways to investigate pedestrian safety performance of vehicles. The authors’ group has improved the biofidelity of the lower limb and the pelvis of the mid-sized male pedestrian dummy (POLAR III) by modifying those components. This study aims to evaluate the biofidelity of the whole-body response of the modified dummy in full-scale impact tests. The pelvis, the thigh and the leg of POLAR III have been modified in a past study by optimizing their compliance by means of the installation of plastic and rubber parts, which were used for the tests. The generic buck developed for the assessment of pedestrian dummy whole-body impact response and specified in SAE J3093 was used for this study. The buck representing the geometry of a small family car is comprised of six parts: lower bumper, bumper, grille, hood edge, hood and windshield.