A precise method of vehicle velocity determination based on measurements of car body deformation – non-linear method for the ‘Luxury’ vehicle class

ABSTRACT

The publication proposes a non-linear method for determining the pre-crash velocity of the ‘Luxury’ vehicle class as defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Existing methods of vehicle velocity evaluation are based on the linear relationship between the energy equivalent speed and the value of the car body deformation coefficient C_s, which lead to a significant estimation error, rendering them insufficient for car crash experts. The non-linear model includes linearisation in particular ranges, which may decrease the error value. The most important element in the non-linear method is the b_k coefficient, which is calculated based on polynomial regression equations. The article presents an optimisation iteration, which procures accurate results with a reduced computation time for the ‘Luxury’ vehicle class.

KEYWORDS:

• Accident reconstruction
• velocity
• crash
• non-linear method
• fuzzy logic
• equivalent energy speed
• deformation classification
• vehicle speed
• crash test

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.