Crashworthiness optimisation of vehicles requires the development of crash testing techniques based on wave propagation principles which allow precise measurement of dynamic loads and displacements, assessment of the mechanical response of structures subjected to an impact is however a difficult task. The two main parameters which make this task complex are the inertial and the stress wave propagation effects. An important issue for precision impact testing is to know accurately how the energy propagates through the structure in case of an impact. Such precision measurement technique should be applicable to any point of the vehicle structure in order to measure locally and in any direction the distribution of crash energy throughout the crash; this will allow the measurement of all the crash phenomena due to wave propagation and inertia forces at critical points of the structure. Results will allow a realistic validation of the simulation reliability of computer codes and achieve further substantial progress in the passenger safety. It is shown in this paper a new testing method based on the waves mechanics principles under realisation at the Large Dynamic Testing Facility (LDTF) of the Joint Research Centre-Ispra site, allowing the measurement of this energy flow on real size structures and substructures of vehicles subjected to crash tests. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116488.
Samenvatting