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In this study, tests were performed with modified tires at the right rear location on a solid rear axle sport utility vehicle to compare the vehicle inputs from both: (1) tire tread belt detachments staged by circumferentially cut tires, and (2) a tire tread detachment staged by distressing a tire in a laboratory environment. The forces and moments that transfer through the road wheel were measured at the right and left rear wheel locations using wheel force transducers; displacements were measured between the rear axle and the frame at the shock absorber mounting locations, ride height displacements were measured at the four corners of the vehicle, and accelerations were measured on the rear axle. Onboard vehicle accelerations and velocities were measured as well. The data shows that the tire tread belt detachments prepared by circumferentially cut tires and distressed tires have similar inputs to the vehicle.

In this study, tests were performed with modified tires at the right rear location on a solid axle sport utility vehicle to compare vehicle inputs and responses from both: (1) staged tire tread belt detachments, and (2) stepped diameter (“lumpy”) tires. Lumpy tires consist of equal size sections of tread that are vulcanized at equidistant locations around the outer circumference of the tire casing. Some have used lumpy tires in attempt to model the force and displacement inputs created by a tire tread belt separation. Four configurations were evaluated for the lumpy tires: 1-Lump, 2-Lump (2 lengths), and 3-Lump.

The shape of an acceleration pulse in an impact is not only affected by the change in velocity, but also by the geometry and stiffness of the both the striking vehicle and the struck object. In this paper, the frontal crash performance of a full-size pickup is studied through a series of impact tests with a rigid pole and with a flat barrier. Each rigid pole test is conducted at one of four locations across the front of the vehicle and at impact speeds of 10 mph, 20 mph, or 30 mph. The flat barrier tests are conducted at 10 mph, 15 mph, 20 mph, and 30 mph. The vehicle crush and acceleration pulses resulting from the pole tests are compared to those resulting from the barrier tests. The severity of pole impacts and the severity of flat barrier impacts are compared based on peak accelerations and pulse durations of the occupant compartment.

The severity of an impact in terms of the acceleration in the occupant compartment is dependent not only on the change in vehicle velocity, but also the time for the change in velocity to occur. These depend on the geometry and stiffness of both the striking vehicle and struck object. In narrow-object frontal impacts, impact location can affect the shape and duration of the acceleration pulse that reaches the occupant compartment. In this paper, the frontal impact response of a full-sized pickup to 10 mile per hour and 20 mile per hour pole impacts at the centerline and at a location nearer the frame rails is compared using the acceleration pulse shape, the average acceleration in the occupant compartment, and the residual crush. A bilinear curve relating impact speed to residual crush is developed.

The documented availability of electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger vehicles is useful in understanding the integration of ESC technology into the North American automobile market. Unfortunately, the sources that document ESC system availability are not always consistent with each other and many show discrepancies with information from the manufacturers. In this study, the history of the implementation of ESC systems in passenger vehicles is reported based on information combined from several different organizations including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Ward's Auto World, and Consumers Reports. Where discrepancies exist between these different sources of data, clarification was gained through further research of information available from the manufacturer, including corporate press releases, owner manuals, and vehicle brochures.

Delta-V and Barrier Equivalent Velocity (BEV) are terms that have been used for many years to describe aspects of what happened to a vehicle when an impact occurred. That is, they are used to describe some physical change in the vehicle state before the impact as compared to after the impact. Specifically, the Delta-V describes the change in the vehicle velocity vector from just before the impact until just after the impact. The BEV attempts to quantify the energy required to cause the damage associated with an impact. In order to understand what happens to a vehicle and its occupants during an impact, it is necessary to examine the acceleration pulse undergone by the vehicle during the impact. The acceleration pulse describes, in detail, how the Delta-V occurs as a function of time, and is related with the deformation of the vehicle as well as the object contacted by the vehicle during an impact.