Modification of a Truck Front for Improved Kinematics in Run Over Accidents

A major problem of the predominantly flat fronts of trucks used in Europe with respect to accidents involving vulnerable road users are the kinematics of the vulnerable road user after the impact. Contrary to car versus vulnerable road user accidents the flat truck front pushes the vulnerable road user to the road rather than lifting him. This effect causes a high risk of a run over. The main idea of the presented safety device is to change the flat front to a tapered shape deflecting the vulnerable road user sideways by using the impact impulse. The achieved deflection reduces the risk of a run over. The tapered truck front has been designed and analysed within the EC funded APROSYS integrated project. For a principal investigation the tapered shape is realised by an add-on structure mountable to the front of a reference truck. Hence, a direct comparison of the flat and the tapered shape is possible. Regarding a practically relevant application of this safety concept with respect to technical and economical feasibility the tapered shape has to be implemented directly in the cab design. During the development phase of the new front structure a large number of design versions are generated and assessed. The resulting final principal shape is compared to the basis truck in various numerical simulations with different accident scenarios, pedestrian models and parameter settings. Due to these results it can be concluded that a convex truck front significantly reduces the risk of a run over. It is most effective in accidents with higher speed (> 20 km/h) and the additional deformation space reduces the contact forces at the primary impact. In this regard it has to be discussed whether the implementation of passive safety devices in trucks should implicate a revision of the vehicle length regulation. The full text of this paper may be found at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv21/09-0458.pdf For the covering abstract see ITRD E145407.

• Authors:
  • Hamacher, M
  • FASSBENDER, S
  • FEIST, F
  • GUGLER, J
• Publication Date: 2009

Language

• English

Media Info

• Serial:
  • PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST (ESV) INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE ON THE ENHANCED SAFETY OF VEHICLES, HELD JUNE 2009, STUTTGART, GERMANY
  • Publisher: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Crash severity; Crashes; Deflection; Pedestrians; Shape; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Front
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 8525: Conference; 5586: Deflection; 9025: Front; 1236: Lorry; 1733: Pedestrian; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 9073: Shape
• Subject Areas: Motor Carriers; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01336424
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: TRL
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Apr 15 2011 3:31PM