Ford Opens Automotive Safety Certification Facility

August 19, 2005

Ford Motor Co. unveiled an automotive safety facility in Dearborn, Mich. capable of conducting comprehensive occupant protection crash-simulation tests.

Key components of the facility include:

A servo-hydraulic reverse crash simulator featuring the full combination of simulation capabilities - frontal crashes in both pitching and non-pitching modes, rear crashes, and side impacts in both destructive and non-destructive modes. The servo sled accurately simulates real-world collisions by providing the same dynamics of a vehicle crash test without destroying the test device, said Ford. Test results provide data to make important safety-related design decisions long before costly prototype vehicles are tested.
Two vehicle interior head-impact test laboratories, each with a velocity generator on air bearings for easy maneuverability. Each velocity generator features a mechanical arm with six degrees of freedom that allows engineers to test a multitude of points within a vehicle for head-impact stiffness. Information gained through testing in these two facilities is used to design vehicle interiors in ways that help further reduce the risk of head injuries, according to Ford.
Two occupant out-of-position test laboratories that test the impact of air bags on occupants seated improperly during a collision. Test data from these labs help Ford engineers design and fine-tune air bags to better protect occupants - including children - in a variety of collision scenarios. An example of effective use of these facilities is the safety system in the 2006 Explorer and its adaptive air bags. The labs use inputs from various vehicle sensors to alter airbag deployment, taking into account the position and size of an occupant.
A HYGE sled reverse crash simulator that can test several occupant protection safety devices simultaneously as a system to better understand how individual safety features work together.
A Via dynamic sled-test facility, used to isolate specific components for testing and fine-tuning. This targeted approach is more efficient than crash-testing whole vehicles, said Ford.
Four dynamic linear impactors used to test specific components such as bolsters/glove box doors and engine mounts to better understand what happens to them in a collision. That knowledge is then used to design individual components with a higher degree of safety.

The certification test laboratory also has other capabilities that support its larger role of testing for safety certification to meet Ford's safety design guidelines, including access to more than 100 test dummies ranging in size from children (infant, 3-year-old, 6-year-old, 10-year-old) through adult (fifth percentile, 50th percentile, 95th percentile) as well as European, U.S. and WorldSID side-impact dummies (small female and adult males).

To analyze test results, the lab features a digital high-speed imaging lab for on-site, high-resolution viewing of photographic results. A state-of-the-art data acquisition system - in conjunction with an internally developed data processing, management and storage system - helps engineers manage and share testing data efficiently.

To keep all equipment operating at optimum levels, the facility includes a full instrumentation lab with the capability of performing in-house equipment calibration. An on-site machine shop allows for building in-house dynamic test fixtures and various precision jigs for test support.

Source: Ford Motor Co.