Technical Paper
Low Speed Collinear Impact Severity: A Comparison Between Full Scale Testing and Analytical Prediction Tools with Restitution Analysis
2002-03-04
2002-01-0540
Low speed collinear collisions have received some attention in the past in published technical literature. Underrepresented are full-scale instrumented tests utilizing vehicles equipped with foam core bumpers and closing speeds greater than 2.2 meters per second (m/s). Systematic testing was designed to obtain data in collisions between vehicles with similar and mixed bumper structures. Testing was performed at closing speeds ranging from 0.8 to 5.4 m/s. Following each test, vehicle bumper and other damage was documented. Data from the 30 tests for each category of bumper and mixed categories were analyzed to identify the test speed, load magnitude, velocity change, duration of impact and coefficient of restitution. In addition, the energy absorption characteristics and damage thresholds of the various types of bumper systems were obtained.
