Impact of Inertial Forces on Car Occupants in a Vehicle-Fixed Barrier Front Crash

Abstract

In most cases, the dynamic investigation of vehicle collisions with stationary obstacles concerns solutions to complex tasks related to the identification of occupant position in the vehicle. The motion of the bodies in the car is determined by the intensity of the inertial coordinate system, also known as moving reference frame, invariably fixed to the vehicle’s center of mass. The focus of the study is on how forces of inertia change their magnitude and direction in the car’s motion. This requires specific analysis carried out by dividing the vehicle trajectory into separate stages according to certain indicators, such as free motion, impact process, and post-impact residual motion. Particular attention has been paid to the impact itself, in which the forces of inertia are the most intense, and their magnitude and direction change abruptly. A solution to a Cauchy problem has been found, in which initial kinematic parameters of the crash process are considered, satisfying the kinematic values at rest position.