Re-Examination of NHTSA's Research Moving Deformable Barrier Front Oblique Impacts with Vehicle to Vehicle Crashes using FE Models

摘要

The objective of this study is to investigate how the target vehicle's structural response to NHTSA's Research Moving Deformable Barrier (RMDB), during oblique impact conditions, compares with actual vehicle to vehicle impacts. It tabulates vehicle kinematics, deformation mode and structural intrusions for both the simulated field accident situations, with a SUV and a small car bullet vehicles, onto a small car target vehicle. These parameters are then compared with those resulting from the RMDB impact simulations. The differences are highlighted and quantified. The effects of the bullet vehicles variation in impact speed were also investigated.The paper details sensitivity of the RMDB's Principle Direction of Force by varying the impact overlap percentage. Lastly, further modifications to the RMDB have been suggested to improve its vehicle to vehicle relevance. The FE models used in this research were a full vehicle, restraints and occupant integrated small car model along with a midsized SUV simulation model.