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Frontal collisions account for the majority of car accidents. Regulations have been in effect since the late sixties, aiming at assuring a basic safety performance for cars in this type of crash. From a legislative point of view tests as e.g. FMVSS 208 are about to be complemented by other frontal impact configurations. Two of the reasons behind this is to allow assessment also of asymmetric loads to the vehicle front and the level of passenger compartment intrusion. This paper offers a comparison of different frontal crash tests, including Volvo's Severe Partial Overlap Collision (SPOC) and offset tests against a deformable barrier. The methods are evaluated with respect to their results, both from a dummy performance point of view and based on car deformation characteristics. Also, the practicability and possible effect on vehicle designs are discussed.

The performance of three different six-year old dummies, the new Hybrid III six-year-old from First Technology Safety Systems, the Part 572 Subpart I and the TNO P6, was compared in a series of HYGE sled tests. The dummies were tested on aftermarket booster cushions in a Volvo 850 sled buck. Two different sled pulses were used: a Volvo 850 30 mph frontal crash pulse and an ECE R.44 pulse. The behavior of the dummies was compared for these two sled pulses. Motion analysis from high speed film was performed, showing the trajectories of the dummy heads. All dummies were fitted with triaxial accelerometers in the head, chest and pelvis. The Hybrid III was also equipped with a chest deflection transducer and Denton six-channel upper neck and five-channel lumbar spine load cells. The signals from a number of these sensors were compared.

A rear seat belt system with a submarining-preventing seat design was developed. The seat has a contoured floor pan with a pronounced ridge at the front end and a seat belt with carefully located attachment points. Sled tests simulating 30 mph barrier crashes were run with both a standard Part 572 dummy and a Part 572 dummy with a modified pelvis. Both dummies had pelvis mounted submarining indicators. Comparative tests were run with a rear seat with a flat floor pan. The tests proved the efficacy of the ridge type seat in preventing submarining as well as giving low injury criteria. The modified pelvis was found to have submarining characteristics slightly different from the Part 572 pelvis. Under certain conditions the submarining indicators were capable of detecting when the lap belt loads the abdomen, but failed in some cases where the pelvis rotation was excessive.