Search Results

Compatibility has been a passive safety research issue for many years. Great advancements in secondary (passive) safety have been achieved in the last decades through focussing on the self-protection level provided by passenger cars. The next step is to consider the other vehicle involved in the collision as well. Compatibility relates to the simultaneous improvement of both self- and partner- protection. Several tests procedures have been proposed around the world to assess the compatibility of passenger cars. None are considered ready to be implemented. This paper shows that controlling vehicle front-end geometry is the most feasible step to improve both self- and partner-protection. Through this, an increase in the structural interaction potential offered by passenger cars would result. To improve structural interaction, a convergence of front-end structures, to within certain vertical limits, is necessary.

This paper summarises the results of a project on vehicle crash compatibility, run by European automotive industry together with some research institutes. The project was funded by the European commission as BE97-4049. There are three main issues that can be detected in real world accidents, influencing vehicle compatibility. These issues are mass differences, compartment integrity with regard to frontal car-to-car impact, and differences in bumper and sill height in side impact. Longitudinal mismatch in frontal impact, front end stiffness and other items which are from a theoretical point of view responsible for vehicle aggressiveness are not seen influential from the view point of real world accidents. On the other hand, compartment collapse occurs, when there is not sufficient deformation energy available in vehicle front-end. And deformation energy is available, when it is provided by vehicle structures and when these structures interact.

Compatibility has been a research issue for many years now. It has gained more importance recently due to significant improvements in primary and secondary safety. Using a rigorous approach, combining accident research and theoretical scientific considerations, measures to improve vehicle-vehicle compatibility, with an emphasis on feasibility, were discussed. German accident research statistics showed that frontal impacts are of higher statistical significance than side impacts. Based on this and the high potential for improvement due high available deformation energy, the frontal impact configuration was identified as the most appropriate collision mode for addressing the compatibility issue. In side impacts, accident avoidance was identified as the most feasible and sensible measure. For frontal vehicle-vehicle impacts, both trucks and passenger cars were identified as opponents of high statistical significance.