DECELERATION AND DEFORMATION DURING DYNAMIC LOAD OF MODEL LONGITUDINALS - REAL CONDITIONS AND SIMULATION

The manner and degree of taking over impact energy by the passive safety elements of the vehicle body is the basis for providing conditions for the survival of people using the means of transport (driver and passengers). The elements specially designed for this purpose in the self-supporting body are longitudinals. Their energy-absorbing properties are designed by using a specific shape, by using appropriate connections of their components and by choosing the right material. Determining the degree to which the vehicle (body) ensures safety during collision requires testing. The most complex and expensive tests are the ones carried out on a complete real object (whole vehicle). The solution worth considering is a bench test of individual body elements designed as energyconsuming (for example, longitudinals). In addition, it is also possible to carry out computer simulations in this area. The purpose of this article was to present and compare the results of dynamic studies on model energy-consuming real objects and compare the results obtained this way with the results of computer simulation in the same range. The scope of work was adopted on this basis: passive safety, model energy-absorbing elements of steel self-supporting vehicle body, dynamic tests, computer simulations. For the purpose of this study, a model of vehicle passive safety elements (model longitudinals) was designed for which dynamic tests were carried out on a specially designed test stand (speed of the hammer was up to 9.7 m/s, impact energy was up to 23.6 kJ). This test stand enabled registration of the deceleration during impact and deformation of the tested object. Next, computer simulations were carried out for geometrically and materialidentical models. On the basis of the conducted tests, it was found that it is worth considering the replacement of collision tests of the whole vehicle by tests of its individual components. These tests can also be supported by computer simulations.