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The incidence of fire in heavy trucks has been shown to be about ten times higher under crash conditions than occurs in passenger vehicles. Fuel tank protection testing defined in SAE standard J703 was originally issued in 1954 and presently echoes federal regulations codified in 49 CFR 393. These tests do not reflect dynamic impact conditions representative of those that can be expected by heavy trucks on the road today. Advanced virtual testing of current and alternative fuel tank designs and locations under example impact conditions is reported. Virtual testing methods can model vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to fixed object impacts. These results can then be utilized to evaluate and refine fuel tank protection system design approaches.

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.