TNO performed a series of well-controlled full-scale 30/mD angled barrier tests with Volvo 343 vehicles. In addition, a series of simplified sled tests with a Volvo 343 body mounted at angles of 15° and 19° (i.e., the angle between the longitudinal axes of the car body and sled) were conducted. The sled tests were carried out with a ΔV-time history obtained from the full-scale barrier tests. Test conditions and evaluation of the dummy results for driver and passenger were based on the new draft ECE regulation for head-on collisions and on the proposed ISO DIS 7862E for the simplified sled simulations of barrier crashes.

It was found that the ECE sled test procedure in itself is well defined and feasible with minor modifications. It should be noted that all the dummy results were low in comparison with the performance criteria in the regulation, and so, considering the dummy as a measuring instrument, the results are at the lower end of its operating range. For vehicles with different ΔV-time histories for the left and right sides during the full-scale test, it is not possible to reproduce dummy kinematics and at the same time all major injury parameters with a single mounting angle of the body on the sled and one ΔV-time history. The paper presents more details about the mounting angle and ΔV-time history problems.