3.2 Current European Side Impact Standard

The European Union side impact safety regulation, EU Directive 96/27/EC, is similar to FMVSS 214 in that a MDB is launched into a stationary target vehicle equipped with a single instrumented front seat dummy. This directive was approved by the EU in October 1996. It will apply to all new or redesigned models manufactured after October 1, 1998, and all other vehicles manufactured after October 1, 2003. The procedure and test equipment differ from those in FMVSS 214 in many significant ways. The MDB impacts the target vehicle at 50 kph (31 mph) and 90 degrees with no crab angle, as shown in Figure 3. This differs from FMVSS 214 in that no attempt is made at simulating the movement of the target vehicle. The lateral striking position is aligned with the occupant seating position rather than the vehicle wheelbase. The dimensions of the European barrier face are given in Figure 4. The barrier face is segmented into six blocks with specific force deflection characteristics. The barrier face is smaller and much softer than the U.S. barrier on the blocks closest to the sides. The bottom edge is the most forward part of the European MDB and is 300 mm (11.8 in.) from the ground. This is in comparison to the 280 mm (11.0 in.) high bottom edge and 330 mm (13 in.) bumper height in the U.S. barrier face. The European barrier has a mass of 950 kg (2095 lbs) compared to 1367 kg (3015 lbs) for the U.S. barrier.

Figure 3 - EU Directive 96/27/EC Side Impact Test Configuration

Figure 4 - EU Directive 96/27/EC Side Impact Deformable Barrier Face. Dimensions are in millimeters where 25.4 mm = 1 in.

As in FMVSS 214, for EU Directive 96/27/EC successful test performance is determined by dummy injury criteria. However, both the test dummy and injury criteria differ from those in FMVSS 214. SID is capable of measuring acceleration of the ribs, spine and pelvis. These readings are the bases for the U.S. injury criteria. EUROSID-1 has the capability of measuring more parameters than SID, including force and displacement as well as acceleration based readings [8]. The EU Directive places limits on five dummy measurements to determine vehicle performance. The head injury criteria (HIC) is derived from head acceleration and must remain below 1000. A rib deflection of 42 mm (1.7 in.) is allowed in the thorax along with a Viscous Criterion (V*C) of 1 m/s. The Viscous Criterion is calculated from combined rib displacement and velocity. The abdominal force is limited to 2.5 kN (562 lbs). Finally, the Pubic Symphysis force, which is in the pelvic region, must be less than 6 kN (1350 lbs).