Investigation of Rating Criteria in Rear End Crashes

This thesis was carried out in co-operation with Autoliv Sverige AB. The aim was to develop a Test Method of Rating Criteria (TMRC), in rear end crashes, and perform crash tests according to this method. To develop TMRC, several European institutes and their test methods were benchmarked. The TMRC contains adjustments and the equipment needed, before and during a rear end crash test, such as dummy and camera positions, criteria and seat adjustments. In TMRC the dummy's seat position should be as normal as possible and the head shall be close to the head restraint. Many different criteria were chosen in order to predict the risk of a whiplash injury in the tests. In the rear end crash tests three different seats were tested, two reference seats and a prototype. The results show that the prototype has sufficient qualifications and if certain adjustments are made, the prototype will probably work even better. Furthermore, the test revealed that the prototype works better than the reference seat used in the test.