Side Impact Assessment Using Drop Testing

Full scale testing of a vehicle to assess its side impact crashworthiness is often difficult since it requires the use of sleds or moving barriers to simulate the impact. This work describes a method developed in which the vehicle is dropped sideways from any given height onto any type of object in order to simulate a side impact. Results indicate that the drop test methodology is acceptable for determining if an automobile provides adequate crush resistance and whether or not if protruding objects will injure the occupants of the vehicle. Energy analysis of the drop side impact revealed that the weight of the car increased the work done by crushing by about 16%. By varying test parameters, such as drop height, impact angle and barrier type, different real world conditions can be effectively simulated.