AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ENERGY DISSIPATION OF A NUMBER OF CAR BUMPERS UNDER QUASI-STATIC LATERAL LOADS

It is shown that most car bumpers have no substantial protective worth as kinetic-energy absorbers in serious collisions. Experiments were performed to determine the load-deflection characteristic and the energy which could be dissipated plastically by the bumpers of ten common passenger cars marketed about 10 years ago. Even to accomplish a substantial transverse deflection of about 10 cm (4 in.) it was found that no car needed to possess a speed in excess of about 2.8 m s to the minus one power (6 mph).

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0734743X
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Johnson, W
  • Walton, A C
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 301-308
• Serial:
  • International Journal of Impact Engineering
  • Volume: 1
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0734-743X
  • Serial URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/international-journal-of-impact-engineering

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Bumpers; Deflection; Dissipation; Energy absorption; Kinetic energy; Loads; Motor vehicles; Speed; Traffic speed
• Old TRIS Terms: Load deflection
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00452230
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-038 653
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM