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Since its creation in 1996, Euroncap evaluated more than 80 cars, ranging from small and city cars, to larger vehicles such as executive cars and people carriers (MPVs). The testing protocol comprises 3 types of tests: a frontal offset test against a deformable barrier, a 90° lateral impact with a moving deformable barrier, and - since March 2000 - a pole side impact. In addition a set of subsystem tests with impactors on the bonnet and the front face of the car are conducted to assess the pedestrian protection. The aim of this paper is to review the testing and assessment protocols and to compare them with those used in other NCAP systems in the USA, Australia, Japan and Europe. In particular, important Euroncap issues such as the stiffness of heavier vehicles that could be increased in the future, and the nature and weight of the modifiers are discussed. Ways to improve the system are suggested in relation with real-world accident data.

A new approach has been developed to facilitate the measurement of head angular acceleration in automobile crash tests. It consists of two parts: an array of 12 linear accelerometers mounted in a Hybrid III dummy head and an electronic signal processor mounted on the dummy spine. The accelerometer outputs are led to conventional data acquisition equipment and also to the signal processor which digitizes the raw acceleration signals, stores them, and computes the 3-D angular acceleration. This acceleration and the 3-D linear acceleration of the head c.g. are available in real time or post test. The equipment has been evaluated on a mini-sled, with various configurations of head loading and kinematics, and also in Hyge sled tests performed at 40 km/h with a 3 point belted Hybrid III dummy. The angular accelerations returned by the signal processor in both test settings corresponded closely to those computed off-line from the raw data.

Although the neck is one of the least frequently injured body regions, it does play a considerable role in the solicitations of the head in side impact. It can, in fact, be said that the kinematic and dynamic conditions that govern, for instance, a head impact against a vehicle structure depend on the cervical segment. With a view to characterizing such conditions, i.e. head and neck responses, the LPB-APR conducted a research program including sled tests involving cadavers. These tests were conducted at a low and high G-level sled deceleration, respectively, with the low-violence tests being carried out following collaboration with the Naval Biodynamics Laboratory (New Orleans). Such tests enable direct comparison between volunteer data and cadaver data. The scope of this paper is to present a synthesis of the data obtained from LPB-APR low and high G-level tests, including, in particular, data obtained from new high severity tests.