Low-speed car impacts with different bumper systems: correlation of analytical model with tests

摘要

A coordinated test and analysis program was conducted to determine whether a previously proposed, linear, analytical model could be adapted to simulate low-speed impacts for vehicles with various combinations of energy absorbing bumpers (EAB). The types of bumper systems impacting one another in our program included, in various combinations; foam, piston and honeycomb systems. Impact speeds varied between 4.2 and 14.4 km/h (2.6 and 9.0 mph) and a total of 16 tests in 6 different combinations were conducted. The results of this study reveal that vehicle accelerations vary approximately linearly with impact velocity for a wide variety of bumper systems and that a linear mass-spring-damping model may be used to efficiently model each vehicle/bumper system for low-speed impacts.