A substantial number of whiplash injuries are reported for motor vehicle accidents which produce little or no structural damage to the automobile. These injuries are predominantly associated with rear-end type accidents affecting passengers of the struck vehicle. Since passengers of the striking vehicles are not reporting as many injuries for the same accidents, occupant and vehicle dynamics experienced during low speed-rear impacts were proposed to be a major source of the whiplash claims. A review of previous research revealed that little information exists for this type of accident. In general, vehicle safety research and government regulations have been directed towards occupant mortality - not injury - in frontal collisions. Occupant dynamics research has been limited to sled testing, using modified seat structures, or out-of-date vehicle models. Full scale, rear impact, crash testing has concentrated on high impact speeds (above 30 km/h) where significant structural deformation occurs. A research program was designed to investigate the occupant and vehicle dynamics during low speed - rear impacts. Experimental research was undertaken to document the structural performance of vehicles, noting the impact speeds necessary to initiate the crush mechanisms in the rear portion of the vehicle. To facilitate this testing, a pendulum impactor, based on the government test procedures, was designed and built to consistently reproduce impact speeds below 20 km/h. A total of 56 rear impact tests were conducted with 1977-1982 Volkswagen Rabbits. The vehicle wheels were locked to represent a vehicle stopped in traffic - the most commonly reported whiplash producing accident. An anthropometric test dummy was used to represent a front seat passenger during the tests. High speed video recordings of the tests were digitized to provide kinematic information on the occupant and vehicle response. Accelerometers were incorporated into the last 24 tests to monitor the acceleration levels at the bumper mount, seat mount and within the dummy. Information obtained from this testing suggested that permanent structural damage was only visible when an impact speed between 14 and 15 km/h was experienced by the vehicle. Very little frame deformation occurs for impact speeds below this value. Below this threshold, the vehicle frame can be considered rigid; vehicle response being dominated by the compliance of the bumper and suspension systems as well as sliding of the locked wheels. The accompanying occupant response was a differential rebound of the head and shoulders off the seatback and head restraint. This relative motion between the head and torso was evident in each test and increases the potential for injury. Typical occupant response observed consisted of an initial loading and deflection of the seatback due to the occupant's inertia followed by the release of this stored spring energy as the occupant was catapulted forward. It is this elastic behaviour of the seatback which is the likely cause of whiplash injury. Resulting head velocities were found to be in the order of 1.5 - 2 times the resulting vehicle speed. Initial occupant postures which increased the distance between the torso and seatback tended to increase the dynamic loading experienced by the passenger. Analytical modelling of the vehicle was initiated as the groundwork for full occupant-vehicle simulation. A finite element model of the vehicle frame, bumper, and suspension was created. Previously obtained empirical information suggested that a non-linear bumper and suspension system connected to a rigid frame would be an acceptable approximation. A parametric analysis of bumper stiffness and braking conditions was conducted in a 30 simulation matrix. General kinematic trends of the tests were observed in the simulations, however, limitations in the material properties introduced a much stiffer response than that experimentally observed. Results from this study show that little protection is offered to an occupant during a rear end collision. Impact energy management within the vehicle may not be adequate to prevent injury. Improved occupant protection requires the highly elastic behaviour of the vehicle frame and seatback to be attenuated. This will eliminate the amplification of vehicle motion through the seatback to the occupant. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mechanical Engineering, Department of / Graduate

A large percentage of automobile accidents in city traffic occur at speeds below 15 mph. Unfortunately there is a scarcity of experimental crash data at these low speeds to help investigators to reconstruct accidents. Accident reconstruction experts have consequently attached a low level of confidence to speed predictions from vehicle crush at the low end of the speed spectrum. The need for more experimental crash data, especially in a low speed range, has repeatedly been mentioned by accident investigators. The University of British Columbia Accident Research Croup has constructed a crash test facility in conjunction with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to address this need. The lCBC-UBC barrier is a low speed crash test facility. A description of the ICBC-UBC crash barrier, its systems and crash testing techniques at the ICBC-UBC facility are presented in this thesis. Also multiple impacts on the same vehicle are investigated to see if this technique provided accumulated crush data that reproduced known high speed crashes. In addition, the preliminary findings are presented on the impact speed to initiate permanent crush and subsequent implications toward vehicle crush characteristics in a low speed range. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

When one thinks of motor vehicle accident damage repairs, one often thinks of unscrupulous operators and a scurrilous industry. While this is regrettably often the case, there is a counterpoint, being the significant number of motor body repair firms that have invested significant sums in establishing accredited and certified motor body repair outlets, and who offer a premium service. The industry is one that is regulated by the South African Motor Body Repair Association, a body that seeks to dictate a standard of repairs by dictating membership eligibility relative to investment in equipment. Most unfortunately, this stipulation does not adequately take into account the flow of work that there may be from the motor vehicle insurance industry, and many repairers find themselves having to resort to nefarious means to ensure that business comes their way. The author of this report is a co-owner of an advanced major structural motor body repairer. Rather than stooping to unethical practices, the owners have sought to undertake a position appraisal and gap analysis with the intention of uncovering the strategic alternatives available to their firm. The firm has implemented the strategic choices highlighted by this report to good effect and has enjoyed enhanced revenue streams and business competitiveness as a result of undertaking this exercise. This report serves to document the highlights of that process. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Orientador: Antonio Celso Fonseca de Arruda / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-25T02:09:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Occhipinti_Sidney_M.pdf: 8988528 bytes, checksum: e17897bc9750a7e5e1ed1f1db7521660 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1999 / Resumo: Geralmente ao ocorrer acidente entre automóvel e a traseira de caminhão,os danos são bem severos para os ocupantes do automóvel e na maioria dos casos, este só pára ao atingir o eixo do caminhão. Isto ocorre, porque os pára-choques de caminhões são mal posicionados, frágeis, fixados excessivamente altos e muito embutidos na carroçaria. Ocorrem neste caso, dois efeitos: o cunha (em que o automóvel penetra sob a traseira do caminhão impulsionando-o para cima); e o guilhotina (a carroçaria do caminhão destrói o pára-brisa, as colunas do teto e decapta os ocupantes). Pára-choque traseiro de caminhão é equipamento de segurança veicular passiva, para parar o veículo que se choca contra ele, na realidade porém, diverge deste pressuposto teórico. Infelizmentetanto no Brasil, como em outros países, eles não apresentam performance satisfatória. Preocupado com o problema, o Engº Luis O. F. Schmutzler idealizou o pára-choque alicate equipado com rede de cabos de aço para absorção de energia. Este trabalho enfoca a análise e o estudo das solicitações mecânicas abordando os esforços envolvidos no impacto; projeto do párachoque; construção, instalação, execução de teste de impacto e análise dos resultados. O teste foi realizado na velocidade de 64 km/h, chocando 50% da região dianteira do carro, com resultados excelentes: baixo risco de lesão corporal e preservação total da integridade da cabina do auto / Abstract: Generally a collision of a car with the rear end of a truck results in serious injuries to the car occupants. Underride occurs because the barriers of trucks present some problems.: They are relatively high, their installation are toa inside off rear end of the truck structure, and they are ftagile. AlI these conditions allow the car underride to be stopped at the rear axle and tires. Two failing effects occurs: the wedge (the car go through the rear end pulling up the truck); and the guillotine (the rear end of the truck shear the ftont car columns, destroying windshield, roof and unfortunately decapitating car's occupants). Truck rear underride guard is a passive vehicular security equipment design to stop ungovemed cars. Unfortunately actual rear truck barriers in Brazil and others countries do not provide a satisfactory performance. Conceptual pliers underride guard equipped with a steel cable net was proposed by engineer LUIS O. F. SCHMUTZLER to absorb great part ofthe impact energy. This is the analysis, ofthe mechanical efforts and study in case of a rear collision with: impact efforts consideration; a steel cable net energy absorber design; barrier construction, installation, crash test and results analysis.The crash test was accomplished at 64km/h and 50% offset at the driver side's car with excellent results, presenting low injuries risks to the car's passengers and the cab integrity was totally preserved. / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Orientador: Antonio Celso Fonseca de Arruda / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T20:27:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Todescatt_Daniel_M.pdf: 4563684 bytes, checksum: 112b516ee4dd9c22aab0bea92df347f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Esta dissertação visa comparar o desempenho de um sistema convencional de proteção de ocupantes (sistema de retenção) em um veículo de passeio com um sistema pre-crash, considerando ocupantes de três tamanhos diferentes. O termo pre-crash significa que pode ocorrer o disparo do air-bag e pré-tensionador antes do instante de impacto enquanto que no sistema convencional o disparo ocorre sempre após o impacto. Com esta finalidade foi utilizado um modelo de simulação desenvolvido no programa `Madymo¿ combinado ao programa de otimização multidisciplinar `Mode-Frontier¿. Este modelo corresponde à parte do veículo que envolve o motorista e é constituído por parte da carroçaria, assento, coluna de direção e o sistema de retenção. Todo o modelo está sujeito a uma curva de aceleração que representa um impacto frontal contra uma barreira rígida a 50 km/h. São utilizados três tamanhos padronizados de ocupantes representados por bonecos (dummies) que possuem sensores em certas partes do corpo com a finalidade de identificar os índices biomecânicos resultantes do impacto. Estes índices biomecânicos identificam o nível de carga sobre estas partes do corpo e podem ser comparados com critérios estabelecidos em norma. Os três tamanhos de ocupante são definidos da seguinte forma: 5%, 50% e 95%. Onde 5% representa a parcela de 5% da população de menor estatura, 50% representa uma estatura equivalente à média da população e 95% a estatura que é maior que 95% da população. Este padrão é definido de acordo com o tamanho da população americana da época em que estes dummies foram desenvolvidos. O trabalho é dividido em três etapas. Na primeira é utilizado o programa de otimização para dimensionar um sistema de retenção que seja ideal para o 'dummy' tamanho 50%. A partir dos parâmetros determinados para o sistema de retenção são avaliados e comparados os índices biomecânicos dos ocupantes de tamanhos 5% e 95%. O objetivo é demonstrar os riscos a que os ocupantes de dimensões fora do tamanho 50% estão sujeitos. Posteriormente são encontrados, também por meio de algoritmo de otimização, os parâmetros do sistema de retenção que são ideais para os ocupantes 5% e 95%. Novamente é feita uma comparação dos resultados. Por fim é feito um procedimento similar considerando a possibilidade de adiantamento no disparo de dois dispositivos do sistema de retenção: air-bag e pré-tensionador. Novamente é utilizado o algoritmo de otimização para encontrar os parâmetros ideais do sistema de retenção para o ocupante de estatura 50%. Neste caso pode-se verificar se ocorre a melhora dos índices biomecânicos para o ocupante de tamanho 50% comparando-se com os resultados obtidos em um sistema de retenção convencional. Porém, neste caso, o aspecto mais importante deste trabalho é verificar se o adiantamento no tempo de disparo possibilita de redução do risco de ferimentos também para os ocupantes com dimensões 5% e 95% mesmo utilizando-se um sistema de retenção dimensionado para o ocupante de tamanho 50%. Palavras-Chave: segurança veicular, impacto veicular frontal, estatura, simulação, otimização / Abstract: This dissertation aims to compare the performance of a conventional occupants protection system in a passenger vehicle with the performance of a pre-crash system, considering occupants of three different sizes. The term pre-crash means that the firing of the airbag and pretensioner may occur before the instant of impact, while in the conventional system the trigger always occurs after impact. With this purpose a simulation model was developed in the software 'MADYMO' combined with the multidisciplinary optimization software 'Mode-Frontier'. The frontal region of the passengers compartment, the seat, the steering column and the restraint system are modelled. The whole model is subject to an acceleration curve that represents a frontal impact against a rigid barrier at 50 km/h. Three standard occupant sizes represented by dummies are used. They have sensors in certain parts of the body with the purpose of identifying the biomechanical results from an impact. The level of biomechanical loads on parts of the body can be compared with the criteria established in the regulations. The three sizes of occupant are defined as follows: 5%, 50% and 95%. Where 5% is the share of 5% of the population with smaller stature, 50% represents a height equivalent to the average of the population and 95% height that is greater than 95% of the population. The default size is set according to the size of the U.S. population at the time that these dummies were developed. The work is divided into three stages. The first uses an optimization program to obtain a restraint system that is ideal for the dummy size 50%. From the parameters determined for the restraint system the biomechanical indices of occupant sizes 5% and 95% are evaluated and compared. The purpose is to demonstrate the risks to which occupants of dimensions out of size 50% are subject. In the second stage the parameters of the restraint system which are ideal for the sizes 5% and 95% are found, also by means of the numerical optimization algorithm. A comparison of the results for the dummy 5% with parameters for 5 and 50% is made. Also a comparison of the results for the dummy 95% with parameters for 95 and 50% is made. Finally, in the third stage, a similar procedure is done considering the advance in the firing time of two devices from the restraint system: air-bag and pretensioner. Again the optimization algorithm is used to find the optimal parameters for the restraint system considering the occupant height 50%. In this case it is checked whether there are improvements of biomechanical indexes for the occupant size 50%, comparing with the results obtained in a conventional restraint system. Here we reach the most important aspect of this work, which is checking if the advance in firing time results in a reduction of the risk of injury also for occupants with dimensions 5% and 95%, even using a retention system sized for the occupant size 50%. Key Words: vehicle safety, vehicle frontal impact, stature, simulation, optimization / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica