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Impacts between passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles are uniquely severe due to the aggressivity of the heavy vehicles; this is a function of the difference in their geometry and mass. Side crashes with heavy vehicles are a particularly severe crash type due to the mismatch in bumper/structure height that often results in underride and extensive intrusion of the passenger compartment. Underride occurs when a portion of one vehicle, usually the smaller vehicle, moves under another, rendering many of the passenger vehicle safety systems ineffective. Heavy vehicles in the US, including single-unit trucks, truck tractors, semi-trailers, and full trailers, are currently not required to have side underride protection devices. The NTSB, among other groups, has recommended that side underride performance standards be developed and that heavy vehicles be equipped with side underride protection systems that meet those standards.

Frame rail design advances for the heavy truck industry provide numerous opportunities for enhanced protection of fuel storage systems. One aspect of the advanced frame technology now available is the ability to vary the frame rail separation along the length of the truck, as well as the depth of the frame. In this study, the effect of incorporating the fuel storage system within advanced technology tapered frame rails was evaluated using virtual testing under impact conditions. The impact performance was evaluated under a range of horizontal impacts conditions. The performance observed was quantified and then compared with previous testing of baseline diesel tank systems. Fuel storage system impact performance metrics over the range of crash conditions considered were quantified using virtual testing methods. The results obtained from the application of the impact performance evaluation methodology were then described.