Closed Form Solution of BEV's and b ₁ Coefficients from Collinear Vehicle to Vehicle Crash Testing

Crash testing of vehicles into rigid, immovable barriers is commonly used by researchers and relied upon by accident reconstructionists to determine the structural dynamic properties of vehicles. One of the more important parameters routinely determined by this testing is the b₁ coefficient, as this coefficient relates permanent deformation to the barrier equivalent velocity (BEV) in the one-dimensional or collinear collision. A closed form solution has been developed which allows the analyst to uniquely calculate the particular vehicle b₁ coefficient and BEV resulting from a collinear vehicle to vehicle impact, where only the vehicle weights, closing speed and crush profiles of the vehicles are known and a value for the b₀ coefficient is assumed. This methodology will allow the researcher or analyst to define b₁ coefficient and BEV information about two vehicles from a single one dimensional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test, which may be particularly useful in those instances where single vehicle to rigid barrier impact test data is not available.