Today's fragmentary and heterogeneous regulation regarding vehicle and components, static and dynamic tests, suggest a new trend for a global evaluation of the vehicle by means of collision tests between the vehicle, with dummies on board, and dynamometric deformable moving barrier.
Such moving barrier (always the same) is used in the front collision test as well as in side and rear collision tests.
The new Fiat Safety Center is designed not only to enable it to carry out the tests required by present regulations, but also with a view to future test trend.
Covering 27 acres, the installation provides for any type of test, with 1370-ft tracks giving a terminal speed of 97 mph for cars and 62 mph for trucks of up to 20 Tons.
Vehicle are propelled by a two-ton trolley, rolling on angled rails in a culvert below the surface. This is driven by a closed loop of 1-in cable powered by a 2300 hp eletric motor, the speed of which is held within a tolerance of 0.25 % by a central computer, programmed for each particular crash test.
Crash data are transmitted to the control room by a 60-channel cable and a 96-channel radio telemetry system. Signals are processed by computer, with recordings on magnetic tape or digital print-outs.