Title: A study of automobile occupant behavior in car-to-car collisions using scale models - effect of barrier impact characteristics in car-to-car collisions

Authors: M. Morisawa, T.B. Sato

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering, Musashi Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan. ' Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio Gijuku University, Yokohama-shi, Japan

Abstract: Hitherto, the behaviour of belted occupants of subcompact cars, when such cars collide head-on with compact cars at equal speeds in mixed traffic, have been examined using scale models (Morisawa and Sato, 1983-84). In this paper, this behaviour, served using same-scale models, is compared with that of each car|s occupant in a barrier impact. The principal factors influencing the behaviour of a subcompact car|s occupants are thus made clear, and it is found that the effects on such behaviour in car-to-car collisions can be estimated to a certain degree from each car|s behaviour in a barrier impact.

Keywords: vehicle design; vehicle safety; car-to-car collisions; barrier impacts; modelling; occupant behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1988.061512

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1988 Vol.9 No.4/5, pp.400 - 411

Published online: 26 May 2014 *

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