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Velocity changes, mean accelerations and displacements of some car types in frontal collisions

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International Journal of Crashworthiness

Abstract

Data collected by onboard collision recorders of frontal collisions of cars, with other cars or roadside objects, when the overlap was greater than 25% and the collision direction was between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, is analysed for twelve car types manufactured between 1985 and 2002. The mean acceleration, velocity change and normalised displacement ( d/L ) characteristics of each car type are non-linear, similar across car types, and can be represented by power equations, all of which have statistically significant regressions. Analysis of the data for the car types shows that the mean crumpling stress/density, ratio can be considered to be independent of car size and mass. This shows that the car population can be represented by a series of ‘Car Type’ characteristics which are distributed about a ‘Mean Car Type’, all of which are independent of car size and mass.

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Wood, D.P., Ydenius, A. & Adamson, D. Velocity changes, mean accelerations and displacements of some car types in frontal collisions. International Journal of Crashworthiness 8, 591–603 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1533/ijcr.2003.0262

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1533/ijcr.2003.0262

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