THE DEPENDENCE OF SIDE IMPACT INJURY RISK ON MDB CONFIGURATION

This paper reports on a parametric study of side impact crash tests. Relative changes in injury risk are assessed for both front and rear struck side occupants in tests with variation of mass, stiffness, geometry and speed of the impacting mobile deformable barrier.

The study concludes that the ground clearance of the MDB face and impact velocity have a significantly greater effect on injury risk than the other parameters.

The paper also includes consideration of tests to further investigate the effects of mass ratio between the struck and striking vehicle.

This cooperative project between the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services and Transport Canada includes analysis of intruding door behaviour and consequent effects on injury risk.