CONCEPTS TO REDUCE HEAVY TRUCK AGGRESSIVITY IN TRUCK-TO-CAR COLLISIONS

This paper describes the concept development and testing of a new front end design for heavy trucks. The design objective was to develop a bumper which reduces the aggressivity of the truck in an offset frontal collision with an automobile. Collisions involving heavy trucks and cars are particularly unfavorable to the car due to the large mismatch in mass. The bumper design concept described in this paper has evolved from a program of work which has actively focused on reducing truck aggressivity without adversely affecting the other operational characteristics of the truck. The new bumper design involves an energy absorbing honeycomb block, covered by an impact surface which swivels upon impact, thus deflecting the car away from the path of the truck. Computer simulations were used to develop the design from a basic concept to a form suitable for stationary barrier testing. The prototype bumper was fabricated and crash tested on a stationary barrier. A Ford Taurus was used as a bullet vehicle for this purpose. The test showed that the barrier deflected the vehicle as desired, with minimum intrusion into the passenger compartment. The barrier test of this design has confirmed the potential for further refinement for truck adaptation. [A] For the covering abstract, see IRRD 896528.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • MENDIS, K
  • MANI, C
  • PRASAD, A K
  • Willke, D
  • Monk, M
  • CLARKE, R M
• Conference:
  • PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTEENTH INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE ON THE ENHANCED SAFETY OF VEHICLES, HELD MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 13-16 MAY 1996.
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 674-94
• Serial:
  • Volume: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bumpers; Crash tests; Design; Frontal crashes; Trucks
• ITRD Terms: 1352: Bumper; 9011: Design (overall design); 1640: Head on collision; 1648: Impact test (crash); 1236: Lorry
• Subject Areas: Design; Motor Carriers; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00747450
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 28 1998 12:00AM