Von der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt) und dem Rheinisch-Westfälischen TÜV wurde 1988/89 eine Pilotstudie zum Einfluss der Korrosion auf die passive Sicherheit von Pkw bei drei unterschiedlichen Fahrzeugtypen durchgeführt. Es wurde je ein dem Alter entsprechend durchschnittlich durch Korrosion geschädigtes älteres und ein möglichst gering geschädigtes jüngeres Fahrzeug bezüglich des Korrosionszustandes vermessen und im Aufprallversuch getestet. Bei den von der BASt durchgeführten Wandaufpralltests versagten insbesondere bei den älteren Fahrzeugen sicherheitsrelevante Fahrzeugteile. Es wurde daraufhin beschlossen, die Pilotstudie mit der vorliegenden zweiten Untersuchung unter den folgenden zwei Vorgaben fortzuführen: - Verbreiterung der Datenbasis von Tests mit weiteren Fahrzeugtypen mit starker Korrosion. - Prüfung von Fahrzeugen des gleichen Typs wie in der Pilotstudie, jedoch sollten an ihnen Korrosionsschutzmaßnahmen verwirklicht sein, welche die Automobilindustrie mit Beginn der 80er Jahre in die Fertigung eingeführt hatte. Die stark korrodierten Fahrzeuge der jetzt vorliegenden Untersuchung zeigten ein ähnliches Versagensspektrum wie die stark korrodierten Fahrzeuge der Pilotstudie. An den korrosionsgeschützten und auch jüngeren Nachfolgemodellen der Fahrzeuge der Pilotstudie konnte kein korrosionsbedingter Einfluss auf die passive Fahzeugsicherheit mehr gefunden werden.
EEVC Working Group 15 (Compatibility Between Passenger Cars) has carried out research for several years thanks to collaborative project funded by the E.C. and also by exchanging results of projects funded by national programmes. The main collaborative activity of the EEVC WG15 for the last four years was a research project partly funded by the European Commission, where the group made the first attempt to investigate compatibility between passenger cars in a comprehensive research program. Accident, crash test, and mathematical modelling data were analysed. The main result was that structural incompatibilities were frequently found and identified as the main source of incompatibility problems but were not easy to quantify. Unfortunately as little vehicle information other than mass is recorded in most accident databases, most analyses have only been able to show the effect of mass or mass ratio. Common ideas to improve compatibility have been reached by this group and from discussion with other research groups. They will be investigated in the next phase, where research work will concentrate on the development of methods to assess compatibility of passenger cars. The main idea is that the prerequisite to improve crash compatibility between cars is to improve structural interaction. The most important issue is that improved compatibility must not compromise a vehicle- self protection. Test methods should lead to vehicles which show good structural interaction in car to car accidents. Test methods to prove good compatibility may be an adaptation of existing regulatory test procedures (offset deformable barrier test or full width test like in the USA) for frontal impact or may be new compatibility tests. Additional criteria, e.g. impact force distribution, and maximum vehicle deceleration or maximum vehicle impact force should result in compatible cars. Attempts will be made to estimate the benefit of a more compatible car fleet for the European Community.
The objective of European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) Working Group (WG) 15 Car Crash Compatibility and Frontal Impact is to develop a test procedure(s) with associated performance criteria and limits for car frontal impact compatibility. This work should lead to improved car to car frontal compatibility and self protection without decreasing the safety in other impact configurations such as impacts with car sides, trucks, and pedestrians. The WG consists of national government representatives who are supported by industrial advisers. The WG serves as a focal point for European research conducted by national and industry sponsored projects. The WG is responsible for collating the results from this research to achieve its objectives. EEVC WG 15 serves as a steering group for the car-to-car activities in the "Improvement of Vehicle Crash Compatibility through the Development of Crash Test Procedures"(VC-COMPAT) project partly funded by the European Commission. This paper presents a review of the current European research status. It also identifies current issues with candidate test procedures and lists the parameters that should be considered in assessing compatibility. The current candidate test procedures are: an offset barrier test with the progressive deformable barrier (PDB) face; a full width wall test with or without a deformable aluminium honeycomb face and a high resolution load cell wall; an offset barrier test with the EEVC barrier and load cell wall. These candidate test procedures must allow assessment of structural interaction, frontal force levels and compartment strength. The WG will report its findings to the EEVC Steering Committee and propose a test procedure in November 2006.