Virtual Testing of Curved Vehicle Restraint Systems

Real crash tests against vehicle restraint systems according to the standard EN 1317 are performed with straight barriers. The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of a curved barrier. A validated model of a real tested vehicle restraint system was subjected to a modification. The straight barrier in the original simulation model was modified with different constant curvatures. Virtual crash tests with straight and differently curved barriers were carried out with the same boundary conditions as the real test. The results concerning the behavior of the vehicle and the barrier were compared. The expected consequences of a barrier in a curve are the following: The vehicle is contained by the barrier. The dynamic deflection of the barrier during the crash is lower than the dynamic deflection of the unmodified straight barrier. The acceleration severity increases due to the curvature of the barrier.