CRASH3 Damage Algorithm Reformulation for Front and Rear Collisions

The purpose of this paper is to present a revised approach to estimating the approach energy E_A absorbed in an accident. This paper details the revised method for energy estimation for front and rear impacts (side impacts will be discussed in a later publication). The new algorithm originates from the fact that CRASH3 requires an estimate of approach energy absorbed (E_A) and not force or stiffness. Therefore, the simplest approach is to model the behavior of E_A with residual crush. Data from more than 1000 tests in the NHTSA's data-base are tabulated and presented. Finally, the paper validates the new algorithm by analyzing data from a number of staged collisions. The work reported in this paper was executed under contract to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a part of their research.