A means of assessing the passive safety of passenger motor vehicles would represent a desirable instrument for the legislator, the automobilei ndustry and the consurner. In contrast to the dominating criteria of assessment for vehicles such as, amongst other features, the engine power, the economy of interior utilization, the aerodynamics and the consumption of resources, no clear and generally accepted assessment standards are available for the field of passive safety.
The proposed method of assessment combines the results of experimental safety tests which are carried out in accordance with existing mandatory test conditions or test conditions which are under discussion. with biomechanical validation of load values measured in tests.
The assessment is made by means of risk functions defined for individual parts ofthe body, these functions being compiled by correlation of the results of accident analysis with results obtained from computed simulation.
The degree of fulfillment of the particular protection criterion thus arrived at is weighted by factors which take into account the frequency of occurrence and the severity of the accident in relation to cost.
The test program comprises in each case at least one safety test for head-on and side-on collisions against a rigid or deformable barrier as well as a side-on collision test between two vehicles of the type being examined in the particular case. Computer-aided analysis and assessment of the simulation results permit determination and graphic representation of an overall safety index referred to the vehicle as well as partial and individual safety grades.
The passive safety offered by the vehicle being tested in each case can be quoted for individual seating positions, a specific accident constellation or individual endangered regions of the body.