A new vehicle/barrier crush model was developed to improve the Highway-Vehicle-Object-Simulation Model (HVOSM) to simulate impacts with multi-faced rigid barriers. The crush model accounts for the effects of both the deformation and deformation rate of the vehicle body on the vehicle/barrier interface force. A set of deformation tracking (DT) points was introduced on the vehicle periphery to track the deformation history of the vehicle body during the impact. These points identify the deformation pattern over all contacting surfaces between the vehicle and barrier at each time step. A surface is then fitted to the interface force intensity values at each of these DT points. The sprung-mass-impact-force subroutine of the HVOSM computer program was replaced with a set of subroutines that determine the vehicle/barrier interface force intensity according to the new crush model. Subroutines were also incorporated to integrate the force intensity over the interface area by fitting a surface to the scattered intensity values. Calibration and validation of the program was accomplished by simulating (a) three problems having known solutions, (b) two full-scale crash tests with a rigid wall instrumented to measure the total lateral force on the wall, and (c) seven full-scale crash tests with concrete safety-shape barrier (CSSB). Overall, the program simulated gross vehicle motions for CSSB impacts at an acceptable level of accuracy for a wide range of impact conditions.
Abstract