Side Impact Crash Testing: Twenty MPH Side Impact of a Plymouth Champ and aSlipbase Luminaire Support

摘要

The report contains the results of a side impact crash test involving a 1984Plymouth Champ and a slipbase luminaire support. The test was performed at the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) located in McLean, Virginia. The automobile impacted the pole at 18.9 mph (30.4 km/h) on the driver's side door. The impact location was aligned with the side impact dummy's shoulder with the seat in the midtrack position. Earlier FOIL side impact tests were conducted at a nominal impact speed of 30 mph (48.3 km/h). In Test 4, the same slipbase used in these tests was retested with the same 14 kip (62.3 kN) bolt clamping load but at a lower impact speed. This combination of high clamping force and low impact speed resulted in system lockup. The slipbase mechanism did not release and the resulting damage to the side structure of the automobile was quite extensive. The Thoracic Trauma Index (TTI) for this test was an acceptable 82 g's, but the calculated Head Injury Criteria (HIC) value of 2,513 is two and a half times the acceptable upper limit. The head of the dummy was resting against the side window of the automobile when the side impact occurred. The result was a possibly fatal injury at this low 18.9 mph (30.4 km/h) impact speed.