Abstract
Compared to the frontal crash, numerical and experimental investigations of the side impact are more difficult. The occupant comes into direct contact with the crushing structure or the striking object. Beside this, the behaviour of the vehicle and the restraints, the kinematics of the occupant and its interaction with the vehicle and the striking obstacle are different for most load cases. This paper informes about the experiences of the authors to manage this situation. The paper informes about the engineering tools used for the development of side airbags. Numerical simulation methods and nondestructive tests on a HYGE sled are presented. (A)