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This paper describes a new test methodology for simulating a near side oblique pole impact per FMVSS 214. Given the complexity, time, and cost of using full vehicle crash tests to develop occupant restraint systems, it is desirable to have a simple test method that allows engineers to develop an optimized restraint system in a timely and cost effective manner. The authors will present a new sled test method that accurately simulates a full vehicle oblique pole side impact test using only minimal vehicle components. This test method was validated through correlation with vehicle testing using the SID IIs (5th percentile female) and the ES2-RE (50th percentile male) dummies, on both a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and mid sized sedan to show application of this test method to a wide range of vehicle architectures.

With many vehicles now achieving high marks in NCAP frontal and side impact, many countries around the world are considering or have already implemented pedestrian impact protocols to help address these types of crashes, due to the incidence rate of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The leading global protocol put forth by the working party No. 29 (WP29) of the United Nations is the Global Technical Regulation (GTR) [1], which includes testing that simulates a pedestrian's head impacting a vehicle's hood through the use of a free flight head form. In conducting this test, it is important to be aware of the sources of variation inherent in the testing equipment and testing methodology so that steps can be taken to mitigate their influence. Testing facilities that can maintain high standards of repeatability can be relied on for producing valid tests that meet the GTR tolerances as well as maintaining reasonable costs and testing throughput.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified ejection mitigation as a top priority, issuing a notice of proposed ruling making (NPRM) in December of 2009. The NPRM proposes a linear impact test that uses a featureless head-form to impact a vehicle's side windows' daylight opening at various positions. The test measures the excursion of the head-form beyond the plane of the window glazing. The intention is to evaluate the ability of a vehicle's ejection mitigation system, such as the curtain airbag or other vehicle features, to manage the impactor energy and limit excursion. The NPRM proposes a test conducted 1.5 seconds after the ejection mitigation countermeasure is deployed at an impact speed of 24 km/h with a mass of 18 kg (400 Joules). This test condition is intended to consider both rollover and side impact crashes.

As a part of its ejection mitigation research, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a linear impact test that uses a featureless head-form to impact a vehicle's side windows' daylight opening at various positions. The test measures the excursion of the head-form beyond the plane of the window glazing. The intention is to evaluate the ability of a vehicle's ejection mitigation countermeasures, such as the curtain airbag or other vehicle features, to manage the impactor energy and limit excursion. However, at this time NHTSA has not yet established the performance criteria for the excursion. Additionally, there is no clear agreement on the energy level to be used for ejection mitigation testing. The agency has considered three energy levels for the head-form impact: 178, 280, and 400 Joules [ 9 ].

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified ejection mitigation as a top priority, issuing a final rule for FMVSS 226, Ejection Mitigation, in January of 2011 to set performance standards for a vehicle's ejection mitigation countermeasures to mitigate the risk of ejection through a vehicle's side window openings. The most likely countermeasures to be used for compliance with this standard are rollover activated curtain airbags that deploy from a vehicle's roof rail. However, this rule will most likely result in increases in the coverage area and inflator outputs of the curtain airbag; which may influence out-of-position occupant injury as measured in the test methods that have been outlined by the Side Airbag Out-of-Position Injury Technical Working Group (TWG).