A systematic treatment of current crashworthiness practice in the automotive, railroad and aircraft industries. Structural, exterior and interior design, occupant biomechanics, seat and restraint systems are dealt with, taking account of statistical data, current regulations and state-of-the-art design tool capabilities. Occupant kinematics and biomechanics are reviewed, leading to a basic understanding of human tolerance to impact and of the use of anthropometric test dummies and mathematical modelling techniques. Different types of restraining systems are described in terms of impact biomechanics. The material and structural behaviour of vehicle components is discussed in relation to crash testing. A variety of commonly used techniques for simulating occupants and structures are presented, in particular the use of multibody dynamics, finite element methods and simplified macro-elements, in the context of design tools of increasing complexity, which can be used to model both vehicles and occupants.Audience: An excellent reference for researchers, engineers, students and all other professionals involved in crashworthiness work.

Springer Book Archives

I - Impact Biomechanics.- Occupant Kinematics and Impact Biomechanics.- Injury Mechanisms and Biofidelity of Dummies.- Biomechanics of Impact Traumatic Brain Injury.- Forensic Analysis and Data for Road Users.- II - Road Data, Compatibility Issues and Testing.- A Review of the Biomechanics of Impacts in Road Accidents.- Compatibility Issues and Vulnerable Users.- Advanced Restraint Systems for Occupant Protection.- Car Crash and Safety Testing.- III - Occupant Simulation Models.- Occupant Simulation Models: Experiment and Practice.- Models in Injury Biomechanics for Improved Passive Vehicle Safety.- Biomechanical Models in Vehicle Accident Simulation.- IV - Structural Impact.- Dynamic Inelastic Structural Response.- The Macro Element Approach in Crash Calculations.- Crashworthiness of Bus Structures and Rollover Protection.- V - Finite Element Modelling in Crashworthiness.- Vehicle Crashworthiness and Occupant Protection in Frontal Impact F.E. Analysis - An Integrated Approach.- Recent Trends and Advances in Crash Simulation and Design of Vehicles.- VI - Multibody Dynamics Approaches.- Rigid Flexible Multibody Equations of Motion Suitable for Vehicle Dynamics and Crash Analysis.- Contact/Impact Dynamics Applied to Crash Analysis.- Multibody Dynamic Tools for Crashworthiness and Impact.- VII - Aircraft Crash Protection.- Aircraft and Helicopter Crashworthiness: Design and Simulation.- Current Issues Regarding Aircraft Crash Injury Protection.- VIII - Conclusions and Future Trends.- Crashworthiness of Transportation Systems: Conclusions and Future Trends.