| Crash TestsWhen a new vehicle is developed, crash tests serve to optimise the passenger protection concept. To this end, appropriately equipped pre-production vehicles are substituted for the future series production vehicles and used to simulate a range of accident types. The purpose of crash testing is not only to improve passenger protection and minimise the forces acting on the passengers as the result of an accident, it also aims to reduce the risk of injury to other road users outside the car (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.). However, before the actual testing come the computer simulations, i.e. virtual crash testing. This method provides important knowledge about the interaction of components in the event of a crash. The following need to be harmonised: - rigidity of the passenger compartment - resultant acceleration curves - adapted passenger protection systems The results from all crash tests form the basis of the continuous development process for the ongoing improvement of passive safety, a process which involves not only engineers and scientists but also paramedics and accident researchers (see also: Euro NCAP). |
