| PEDSALI | This project is in progress |
| Pedestrian Protection Using Shock Absorbing Liquid Technology |
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Context Measures to minimise injury and damage in vehicle collisions have concentrated on protecting the occupants of the vehicles. DETR has ambitious targets for reducing the number and severity of injuries to pedestrians, especially children. New European legislation will require vehicle builders to improve the safety performance of their products Existing materials and designs are not sufficiently versatile to cope with the variety of weights and stiffnesses of objects with which vehicles collide Aims To identify possible formulations for a class of impact absorbing materials for vehicle front ends that will reduce the severity of collisions with vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists To characterise the impact absorbing characteristics of these formulations and compare their performance with conventional materials To design, fabricate and evaluate a full-size vehicle front end using the new materials To create design rules and procedures for the design of pedestrian-friendly vehicle front ends. Method Characterise samples of Newtonian and non-Newtonian shock absorbing liquids (SALis) over a range of temperatures Prepare design guidelines for the use of these materials Design, build and test a vehicle front end using these guidelines Benefits A reduction in injury to vulnerable road users A competitive edge for UK-based companies in supplying the global automotive market Participants Dow Automotive Manchester University Cheshire Innovation |
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