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The analysis and modeling of vehicle crush in accident reconstruction has traditionally been based upon the use of linear, crush-based, stiffness coefficients. Recent advances have allowed for the calculation and implementation of non-linear crush coefficients in the accident reconstruction software Human-Vehicle-Environment (HVE) by Engineering Dynamics Corporation (EDC). HVE contains the collision algorithm called DyMESH (DYnamic MEchanical SHell), which is capable of using the non-linear coefficients. These non-linear coefficients have shown to increase the accuracy of a predicted crash pulse. Published research on non-linear crush coefficients for the use in HVE has been limited to frontal impacts. Calculating side stiffness coefficients is more complex since most side impact crash tests involve two vehicles that can crush and absorb impact energy.

The analysis and modeling of vehicle crush in accident reconstruction has traditionally been based upon the use of linear crush-based, stiffness coefficients. Engineering Dynamics Corporation (EDC) created the accident reconstruction software Human-Vehicle-Environment (HVE) which contains the collision algorithm called DyMESH (DYnamic MEchanical SHell) which is capable of utilizing a non-linear stiffness coefficient model. The objective of this research was to develop an improved methodology for the calculation of non-linear stiffness coefficients. Stiffness coefficients are used to represent the relationship between the impact force on a vehicle and the resulting vehicle crush. The method explored in the present research was focused on developing vehicle specific, non-linear stiffness coefficients (Pressure Model) based upon frontal crash tests into a fixed, rigid barrier equipped with load cells.