The European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) Working Group 13 has undertaken significant research in order to improve the design and specification of the current MDB face used in ECE Regulation 95 testing. The new improved specification defines a barrier of progressive stiffness. This specification has been accepted by GRSP as an amendment to the Regulation. This barrier face was designed to be a surrogate for cars in the market place when the Regulation was being drafted, reflecting vehicle design of the 1980s. Vehicle design has improved as new Regulations (e.g. ECE Regulation 94) have been adopted as well as consumer testing (e.g. EuroNCAP). It is now widely accepted that the specification of the Regulation 95 barrier face does not reflect evolving vehicle design and impact performance and that a more representative barrier face is desirable.
The International Harmonisation of Research Activities (IHRA) Side Impact Working Group (SIWG) is co-ordinating research that could lead to more advanced side impact test procedures, the aim being to have internationally harmonised test procedures that would be acceptable to many jurisdictions that currently regulate for vehicle side impact performance. One of these test procedures will be based on a full-scale test using an impact trolley onto which is attached a new deformable barrier face, based on the impact performance of modern vehicles. Such an advanced side impact test procedure, if found acceptable, may be implemented around the turn of the decade. The European input into these developments is being provided through EEVC WG13.
The paper presents the latest status of European research on the development of an Advanced European - Mobile Deformable Barrier face (AEMDB)