Establishing the stiffness coefficient of a structure by approximating the deceleration curve with polynomial laws of various degrees

Abstract

New research paths have been enhanced to cope with passive safety and collision analysis between participants in road traffic and motor vehicle. Engineers attempts to find solutions in order to decrease the injury seriousness suffered by vehicle occupants in accidents. The insurance companies undertake, beside taking over risk and damages evaluation, the risk and evaluation limitation as a main branch of their activity. The hereby paper advances the energetic method used to determine the stiffness coefficient of the touring cars’ frontal structure undertaking a frontal collision against a rigid wall. The elements submitted to deformation as a result to the impact are series-connected, therefore the stiffness coefficient of the frontal structure is not constant, varying according to polynomial laws of various degrees. In order to determine the stiffness coefficient the digitization of experimental impact diagrams (acceleration-speed-deformation) is set out.