F2010D047
Establishment of Side Pole Impact Test Procedures in KNCAP
Key words: Korean New Car Assessment Program (KNCAP), Pole Side Impact Test, Head Injury
Abstract: The side impact test procedure has been adopted in the Korean New Car Assessment (KNCAP) since 2003. Considering the traffic circumstances in Korea, the almost same test procedure as the Euro NCAP side impact was adopted except the test speed. In the KNCAP, the driver's door of the vehicle is impacted by the moving deformable barrier (MDB) at the speed of 55 kph. The EuroSID Ⅱ dummy was adopted in 2008. Monitoring the results of the KNCAP side impact test from 2008 to 2009, the modifiers are planned to be applied in 2010 through the thorough investigation of the effect.
Compared to the test results at the beginning stage, the side impact test procedure in the KNCAP has contributed to the improvement of the vehicle side structure and the enhancement of occupant protection. However, the current side impact test procedure has limits on the protection of the occupant head. Examining and restricting the results due to the head injury since 2003, the tested vehicles got perfect scores. This has the possibility of distorting the reality.
The research program on the establishment of the pole side impact test procedures is being conducted at Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI). Because the side impact test procedure is the almost same as the procedure of the Euro NCAP, the KNCAP is supposed to adopt the pole side impact protocol of the Euro NCAP. Although the modifiers or the ratings may be changed according to the circumstances of Korea and the opinions of the auto makers, the most parts including the impact speed and the impact angle will be remained in the KNCAP. If the test protocol is established, the pole side impact test will be started from 2010. Adopting the pole side impact test in the KNCAP, Korean government anticipates that the head protection under the various side impact crash environments could be improved.
This abstract is supplemented by a PDF, which can be viewed here.
Poster presentation: Safety on roads