Samenvatting
Because of the large weight differences that now exist between heavy trucks and cars, car occupants are at risk of serious injury when they collide with large trucks. However, although there is little that can be done to reduce this disparity in weight, it is possible to modify trucks so that the effects of the impact between a heavy truck and a car could be lessened. This paper estimates the effects of modifying the fronts of heavy trucks to incorporate crushable structures with stiffness characteristics similar to the fronts of cars.