home / centre for automotive safety research / Publications / List / Details Publication DetailsTitle | Pedestrian Impact Testing: Modelling the Effect of Head-form Mass and Speed | Authors | Searson DJ, Anderson RWG | Year | 2008 | Type | Conference Paper | Abstract | Pedestrian impact testing is used to assess the relative level of protection from a vehicle to a pedestrian in the event of a collision. Testing is conducted as part of new car assessment programs (Euro NCAP, ANCAP), and for compliance with regulations in Europe and Japan. A key component of pedestrian impact testing is the head-form test, in which a dummy head-form is fired into the front of the vehicle in free flight, at specific locations typically on the bonnet or windscreen. The acceleration of the head-form is measured and is used to assess the relative level of protection at that location through calculation of the Head Injury Criterion (HIC). Alternative protocols specify different test head-form masses and speeds. This paper presents a model of the acceleration response of the head-form in any given test condition. Given a test with a known result, the model can be used to estimate the outcome of a test on the same structure using a different head-form mass and/or speed. The model is a non-linear damped Hertz model of contact. Validation data showed that the model estimates the HIC to within 10% of that obtained from test results. Simulation of a series of generic impact scenarios was conducted under the conditions of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and the draft Global Technical Regulation (GTR) on pedestrian protection, which stipulates a different head-form mass and speed. The results indicate a large discrepancy exists between performance in an ANCAP test and performance under the GTR, such that a structure that would pass the GTR may be rated very poorly under the ANCAP test. | Publisher | Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure | Publisher City | Adelaide | ISBN | 1876346566 | Conference Name | 2008 Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference | Conference Abbreviation | RSR | Conference Location | Adelaide, Australia | Conference Date | 9-12 November 2008 | Page Range | 23-32 | Page Count | 10 |
Reference | Searson DJ, Anderson RWG (2008). Pedestrian Impact Testing: Modelling the Effect of Head-form Mass and Speed. 2008 Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, (pp. 23-32). Adelaide: Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure. |
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