Advanced crash avoidance technologies (ACATs) for trucks have been developed in recent years and are beginning to be deployed. Prior to the development of standards for heavy truck crashworthiness and occupant protection, additional characterization of the crash-injury problem, current medium/heavy truck crashworthiness, and the potential benefits of crashworthy structures in heavy straight trucks and in truck cabs and trailers is needed. The goal of the project is to determine the nature of truck crashes that would remain after full deployment of ACATs, and to assess them in terms of truck driver injury and prevention. Then, using finite element analysis and computer simulation, exemplar tractor-semitrailer crashes were simulated to identify opportunities to improve occupant protection. Rollover and frontal collisions account for most truck driver fatalities and serious injuries. It was estimated that full deployment of ACATs would reduce truck crashes by 10%, and up to 30% of riskiest crash types. However, rollover and frontal impacts would remain as the primary crash types to be addressed. A full truck cabin model was developed and employed in our FE computer simulations to analyze occupant behavior and injury risk during frontal and rollover crashes. An integral part of this truck cabin model was the development of the occupant compartment components as no publicly available heavy truck models exist that contains interior components in the cabin. Additionally, researchers provided a methodology that can be employed and /or adapted to conduct future research within heavy truck occupant safety with use of computational analysis. Analysis of restraint systems during frontal and rollover crashes revealed unacceptable results according to current injury criteria standards and future work needs to be conducted to develop more effective restraint systems to increase occupant safety. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting