Frontal impact test

    Frontal impact test is a one of method to measures and assesses the impact in head and chest from the sensor installed to the dummy after inducing frontal impact of test vehicle to the fixed concrete wall with dummy in driver seat and frontal passenger seat and with the speed of 56km/h (36% increase in energy) that is 15% faster than the test speed (48km/h) on the law. The test is representation of the same situation where car to car frontal impact is occurred with the same type of vehicle and with the speed of 56km/hour from the opposite direction. 

There are two type of frontal impactor. From the picture 1st is Full-width frontal impact crash test and 2nd is frontal offset crash test. Both of the type can use to test the impact frontal of the car. This happen because in came from two different country law and the car must at least get one test to confirm.

This video for frontal offset crash test  

 

This video for full frontal crash test

METHOD FOR FRONTAL IMPACT TEST

As it is to collide head-on onto the auto concrete fixed wall with the speed of 56km per hour which is 8km per hour faster than 48km per hour of the legal test speed (35% increase with conversion to the energy), this revive the same situation that it collides head-on with the same type of vehicle coming with the speed of 56km per hour from the clock-wise direction.

• Frontal impact to fixed concrete wall with speed of 56km/h that is 8km faster than the test speed of 48km/h by the law.
• Equipment of dummy for frontal impact in driver seat and frontal passenger seat
• Installation of sensor to measure the impact in head, chest, etc of dummy
• Dummy for Frontal Impact: It is a male dummy called Hybrid ￥² with height of 178cm and weight of 75kgf developed in USA.

RATINGS CRITERIA

Many engineers consider three factors to determine a vehicle's frontal rating: structural performance, injury measures, and dummy movement.

STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE

To assess a vehicle's structural performance, engineers measure the amount of intrusion into the occupant compartment after the crash. Measurements are taken at nine places around the driver's seat (right). The amount and pattern of intrusion shows how well the front-end crush zone managed the crash energy and how well the safety cage held up.

INJURY MEASURES

Injury measures from the dummy in the driver's seat are used to determine the likelihood that a driver would sustain various types of injuries in a similar real-world crash. The numbers recorded from the head, neck, chest, legs, and feet of the dummy indicate the level of stress or strain on that part of the body — in other words, the risk of injury.

Protection of Each Body Part (Frontal Impact to Fixed Wall with Speed of 56km/h)
Section	Passenger Protection	Good	Acceptable	Marginal	Poor
	Color	Green	Yellow	Orange	Red
Head Injury Criterion		under 500	501~1,000	1,001~1,500	over 1,500
Chest Acceleration (g)		under 45	46~60	61~75	over76
Thigh Compression Load (kgf)		under 500	501~1,020	1,021~1,500	over1,500

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY MOVEMENT

Even if injury measures are low, it's important to consider the dummy's movement during the crash, since not all drivers are the same size as the dummy or seated exactly the same way. A close call for the dummy could be an actual injury for a person.

Tests lead for safer vehicles

When the Institute began its frontal offset tests, the majority of vehicles were rated poor or marginal. Today, the vast majority of vehicles earn good ratings. Occupant compartments are much stronger than the use before.They hold up in a crash and allow safety belts and airbags to do their jobs. Manufacturers have made these improvements they design vehicles with our tests in mind, and that, in turn, leads to  better outcomes in real-world crashes. And for that the the rate of severe injuries in a crash can be reduced to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers