Abstract
A collision between a heavy-duty vehicle and a compact vehicle causes greater damage to the compact vehicle owing to the differences in body strength and mass between the vehicles. Consequently, improvements in compatibility between such vehicles represent an important area of research with respect to traffic safety. Research into ways to improve safety in collisions between commercial vehicles and passenger cars was conducted through the development of a rear end collision-energy-absorption device for commercial vehicles. Computer-aided analysis and crush tests were conducted and obtained as follows:
1. A collision between two vehicles exhibits distinctive characteristics that differ from those exhibited by a collision with a fixed barrier.
2. It is possible to significantly improve the rear end collision-safety speed, i.e. equivalent to 50km/h fixed barrier collision of passenger cars, by effectively combining the collision characteristics of the commercial vehicle and passenger car.
3. A rear end collision-energy-absorption device applied to a commercial vehicle with a GVM 5000kg contributed significantly to improved compatibility in a collision with a passenger car.