Assessment of the impact speed and angle conditions for the EN1317 barrier tests

Roadside safety barriers designs are tested with passenger cars in Europe using standard EN1317 in which the impact angle for normal, high and very high containment level tests is 20°. In comparison to EN1317, the US standard MASH has higher impact angles for cars and pickups (25°) and different vehicle masses. Studies in Europe (RISER) and the US have shown values for the 90th percentile impact angle of 30°–34°. Thus, the limited evidence available suggests that the 20° angle applied in EN 1317 may be too low.
The first goal of this paper is to use the US NCHRP database (Project NCHRP 17–22) to assess the distribution of impact angle and collision speed in recent ROR accidents. Second, based on the findings of the statistical analysis and on analysis of impact angles and speeds in the literature, an LS-DYNA finite element analysis was carried out to evaluate the normal containment level of concrete barriers in non-standard collisions. The FE model was validated against a crash test of a portable concrete barrier carried out at the UK Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
The accident data analysis for run-off road accidents indicates that a substantial proportion of accidents have an impact angle in excess of 20°. The baseline LS-DYNA model showed good comparison with experimental acceleration severity index (ASI) data and the parametric analysis indicates a very significant influence of impact angle on ASI. Accordingly, a review of European run-off road accidents and the configuration of EN 1317 should be performed.

Testing and modelling to obtain material behaviour for crash simulations

The thesis focusses on improving the material behaviour models used in vehicle crash simulations by identifying the mechanical properties most important to crash events, reformulating the material models used in crash simulations, and developing new tests to obtain crash-relevant material.

New improved tests for cointegration with structural breaks

This article proposes Lagrange multiplier-based tests for the null hypothesis of no cointegration. The tests are general enough to allow for heteroskedastic and serially correlated errors, deterministic trends, and a structural break of unknown timing in both the intercept and slope. The limiting distributions of the test statistics are derived, and are found to be invariant not only with respect to the trend and structural break, but also with respect to the regressors. A small Monte Carlo study is also conducted to investigate the small-sample properties of the tests. The results reveal that the tests have small size distortions and good power relative to other tests. © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Experimental tests in human-robot collision evaluation and characterization of a new safety index for robot operation

This paper describes an experimental procedure consisting of impact tests that simulate a collision of a human head with an industrial robot with the aim to validate a safety index named as New Index for Robots (NIR) and its outputs. The experiments in this paper are based on lab tests. It is an attempt to characterize the NIR index underlying the main parameters that are involved in crash interaction and to highlight limitations and weakness of suggested impact tests.

Crash protection systems for handicapped school and transit bus occupants. Volume I: executive summary. Interim report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Crash protection systems for handicapped school and transit bus occupants. Volume III: appendices A, B, C and D. Interim report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Crash protection systems for handicapped school and transit bus occupants. Volume IV: appendix E. Interim report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Automobile consumer information study crash test program. Volume I. Summary report. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Data for validation of crash victim simulator. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibilities and aggressiveness. Volume II: technical report. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 1: 1975 Honda Civic CVCC-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 2: 1975 Ford Torino-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Crash protection systems for handicapped school bus occupants. Volume III: appendices. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Heavy truck pilot crash test rollover.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Vehicular crash test of a continuous concrete median barrier without a footing. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.