Citation

Altenhof W, Paonessa S, Zamani N, Gaspar R. Int. J. Crashworthiness 2001; 6(1): 19-31.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Experimental testing which examines the effects of variations in the column angle and wheel angle of the steering wheel and the velocity at which a chestform impacts the steering wheel armature is the focus of this research. The capability of predicting loads and absorbed energy in any impact between the driver of a vehicle and the steering wheel is very significant in steering wheel design and occupant safety. Methods of illustrating the effects of the wheel angle and column angle (for a prescribed impact velocity) on peak impact load, peak displacement, and energy absorption are presented in this paper. It was observed that experimental observations (impact load, displacement, and energy absorption) are very dependent upon the orientation of the steering wheel armature and chestform velocity when impact occurs between the two entities.