This paper describes the behavior of a driver side occupant restrained by airbag system on a passenger vehicle at a frontal barrier crash. In order to secure effective occupant protection at collisions, it is necessary to conduct close examination into the movement of steering system due to the rearward movement of dashboard as well as vehicle deformation characteristics, generally for vehicles whose crash space at engine compartment is small.
The authors examine the influence of these two parameters on occupant injury indices using MADYMO 2D computer simulation program.
As a result, it is found important to model the axial collapse and the rotation of steering system in the vertical plane caused by dashboard deformation, in order to achieve good correlations between experiment and simulation.
It is demonstrated. That the parametric study clarifies the influence of the vehicle deformation characteristics which is represented by a combination of two simplified trapezoids, as well as of the movement of steering system, On effective occupant protection for an exampled vehicle.
The results of the simulation are validated by the full scale vehicle crash test.