SUBCOMPACT CAR CRASHWORTHINESS

Design modifications were made and tested on 1974 Pintos so that the crashworthiness of the subcompact car could be improved. These modifications consisted of replacing the sheet metal with bulk structure, i.e., foam-filled (stabilized) sheet metal, and of altering the passenger compartment configuration. The effective safe barrier equivalent velocity of the modified vehicle in conjunction with an advanced airbag restraint was found to be approximately 50 mph (80 km/h) in head-on and angled- barrier crashes and in two-car angular and offset collisions. The result of this study has been to provisionally establish the prototype feasibility of meeting the proposed 1979 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 amendments requiring 45 to 50-mph (72 to 80-hm/h) barrier equivalent velocity frontal crash protection with a subcompact car.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/586/586-003.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=SUBCOMPACT+CAR+CRASHWORTHINESS&author=D.+Friedman&author=R.+Tanner&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309025508
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Friedman, D
  • Tanner, R
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 23-31
• Monograph Title: Design for Crash Survival of Automobile Occupants
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 586
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Automobiles by type; Compact automobiles; Crashworthiness; Frontal crashes; Passive restraint systems; Sheet metal; Traffic barriers; Vehicle design
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers; Vehicle make
• Old TRIS Terms: Passive protection devices
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141516
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309025508
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-019 611
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 17 1976 12:00AM