Project

Legal and rating requirements and tests have driven the improved occupant protection in passenger vehicle side impact. However, there are still a considerable amount of side impacts that generate fatal or serious occupant injuries. The aim of the project is to evaluate the state of the art occupant substitute side impact evaluation tools (mechanical and numerical) and, based on serious (AIS 3+) and impairing injuries observed in real life data, develop methods to predict injuries with the tools. Influence of age, gender and weight on the injury mechanisms should also be taken into consideration. An extended aim is to combine mechanical and mathematical accident reconstruction, real life data analysis and CAE analysis to develop a generic numerical model as side evaluation tool that can be used to develop robust occupant side impact protection and gain knowledge about the needs for future occupant side impact protection systems (in current car fleet as well as for alternatively powered vehicles) and evaluate/predict the effect of such systems.