This report presents the results of the first three of eight passenger car-to-rear underride crash tests conducted in accordance with the requirements of Task 5 of the "Development of Compliance Test for Truck Rear Underride Protection" program. The test vehicles selected for these tests were 1978 VW Rabbits and a 1978 Ford Fiesta. These vehicles were impacted into bolt-on, rigid, cantilevered guards mounted to a truck/trailer body simulator at selected heights above ground level. The trailer body simulator used for the tests is a modified, 1977 Fruehauf, 40-foot, heavy duty platform trailer with Select-A-Point tandem rear wheels. For these three tests, two instrumented 50th percentile Part 572 anthropomorphic dummies were placed in the driver and front passenger positions in the car. The occupants were restrained with the vehicle's restraint system. The seat tracks were welded in the midposition to prevent breakaway and/or rotation.
Abstract