Vehicle/occupant movement in moderate speed in-line collisions

Abstract

This article presents a simple, but yet quantitative model of vehicle and occupant movement in moderate-speed, in-line collisions. The modelling is based upon established and validated representations of force-deflection relations during frontal/rear-end collisions. The developed model is applicable with head-on, rear-end, and fixed structure collisions. The modelling results show that the vehicle and occupant movement during collision is well described by sinusoidal and linear functions. The model shows that in the beginning stages of an accident, the occupant movement relative to the vehicle is proportional to the cube of the accident time. Thus, the occupant movement in the vehicle is initially slow but then rapidly increasing. Thus, from the perspective of safety, the beginning stages of an accident provide the greatest opportunity for implementation/deployment of air bags, pretensioners, and adaptive head restraint systems.

keywords:

• vehicle
• occupant
• in-line collisions
• moderate speed
• accident