Technical Paper
An Experimental Study of a Modified Compliant Bumper
1985-01-01
856118
In a previous experimental study, a comparison was made between a 1978 Pontiac LeMans car front with a standard bumper and the same front with a more compliant bumper developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The tests were made with the two car front and bumper systems mounted at the normal bumper level 45 cm and with a lower front configuration with the bumper level 32.5 cm above the ground. The experimental biological model system developed at Chalmers University of Technology for detailed kinetic analysis of car front to leg impact sequences was used for this comparison. The tests were carried out at 30 to 32 km/h impact speed. A significant difference was found only between the standard bumper in the higher position and the compliant bumper in the lower position. A still more compliant bumper than that used in the previous test series was produced by NHTSA and tested with the front and bumper system in the normal position 45 cm above the ground.