The body engineering responsibilities are to simulate
the styling model and overall requirements
laid down by the management in terms of drawings
and specification. The engineering structures are
designed for production, at a given date, at the
28 Repair of Vehicle Bodies
Figure 1.25 Water testing a prototype (Ford Motor Company Ltd)
Figure 1.26 Three-dimensional graphics display
of a scale model (Ford Motor Company Ltd)
• Department for Transport (DfT), government
department – UK
• Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and
Water Management, government department –
Holland
• European Commission – Belgium
• FIA Foundation for the Automobile and
Society, motoring organisation – UK
• Government of Catalonia, government
department – Spain
• International Consumer Research and Testing,
consumer group – UK
• Ministere de l’Equipment, government
department – France
• Swedish Road Administration, government
department – Sweden
• Thatcham – representing British Motor
Insurers – GB
EuroNCAP have a number of tests which vehicles
are subjected to, the results of the tests are
then subjected to a number of calculations which
lead to star ratings. Basically the more stars the
safer the vehicle (Figure 1.28). The tests appear
simple; but the recording of results is quite complex.
Each test has a 50-page operating manual.
Readings are taken from the dummies inside the
vehicles as well as the photographs of the vehicle
as it deforms under impact. The dummies contain
electrical sensing equipment, mainly measuring
acceleration rates. Each dummy costs the same
amount of money as a super car such as a Ferrari.
The EuroNCAP tests are designed to encourage
vehicle manufacturers to consider safety standards
above and beyond those required by the government
regulations.
The history, development and construction of the car body 29
Figure 1.27 Finite-element structural analysis (Ford Motor Company Ltd)
Front impact test
Frontal impact takes place at 64 kph (40 mph)
when a car strikes a deformable barrier that is
offset (Figure 1.28a). This test is similar to many
road accidents where one car hits another car, or
another object, offset to one side.
Side impact test
This is similar to accidents where the car is hit
by another on the side. The impact takes place at
50 kph (30 mph) when a trolley with a deformable
front is towed into the driver’s side of the car to
simulate a side-on crash (see Figure 1.28c).
Pole test
Accident patterns vary from country to country
within Europe, but approximately a quarter of all
serious-to-fatal injuries happen in side impact
collisions. Many of these injuries occur when one
car runs into the side of another. To encourage
manufacturers to fit head protection devices, an
optional pole or head protection test may be performed,
where such safety features are fitted to the
vehicle. Side impact airbags help protect the head
by providing a padding effect and by preventing
the head from passing through the window opening
(see Figure 1.28e).
In this test, the car being tested is propelled sideways
at 29 kph (18 mph) into a rigid pole. The
pole is relatively narrow, like a telegraph pole of
lamp post, so there is major penetration into the
side of the car. In an impact without the head protecting
airbag, a driver’s head could hit the pole
with sufficient force to cause a fatal head injury.
Pedestrian impact test
A series of tests (Figure 1.28b) are carried out to
replicate accidents involving child and adult pedestrians
where impact occurs at 40 kph (25 mph) –
maximum speed in build up areas in France. Impact
sites are then assessed and rated fair, weak and
poor. As with the other tests, these are based on
EEVC guidelines.
Star ratings
Each vehicle tested is given a star rating for its
protection of:
• adult occupant
• child occupant
• pedestrians
30 Repair of Vehicle Bodies
Figure 1.28 EuroNCAP
The Star Ratings are based on calculations carried
out after the tests, the latest figures can be found
on the EuroNCAP website: www.euroncap.com.
