MDB-to-Car Side Impact Test of a 19 Degree Crabbed Moving Deformable Barrier to a 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit at 34.3 MPH [1993-11]

Stultz, J. · 1983 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report documents a specific crash test conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to evaluate the safety performance of a structurally modified 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit. The study was part of a broader series of twelve tests designed to assess NHTSA-modified vehicles under conditions not currently covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The primary objective was to simulate a side-impact intersection collision, specifically analyzing occupant responses in a vehicle designated as "Optimized" for structural integrity. The experimental design involved a stationary 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit 2-door hatchback being impacted on its left side by a Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB). The MDB was towed into the vehicle at a speed of 34.4 mph with its wheels crabbed 19 degrees clockwise to simulate a striking vehicle traveling at 26 mph intersecting a struck vehicle moving at 13 mph. The impact point was located 38.3 inches forward of the vehicle’s wheelbase midpoint. Two unrestrained Side Impact Dummies (SID) were positioned in the driver’s designated seating position and the left rear seating position. The test vehicle featured unpadded driver and left rear occupant walls. Instrumentation included accelerometers on the dummies and vehicle, high-speed cameras, and transducers to record kinematic data, vehicle crush, and barrier deformation. The results indicated significant intrusion and occupant movement. The driver dummy’s torso contacted the driver’s door, while its head struck the side window; the dummy subsequently rebounded across the vehicle, coming to rest on the front passenger seat with its buttocks on the passenger window sill. The rear passenger dummy’s torso contacted the left rear occupant wall, and its head struck the side window and header, eventually rebounding to rest on the right rear window sill. Notable vehicle damage included a cracked left windshield, separated left side windows, and the driver’s seat separating from its mounts. A critical finding was that the driver dummy’s left leg was severed at the knee. Data plots and accelerometer readings provided detailed metrics on head acceleration, chest acceleration, rib deflection, and delta V for both occupants, with the driver dummy recording a peak head acceleration of 89.5 g and the passenger dummy recording a peak upper spine lateral acceleration of 126.99 g. The significance of this report lies in its contribution to the evaluation of side-impact protection standards and vehicle structural modifications. By documenting the specific kinematic responses and injury metrics of unrestrained occupants in a modified vehicle during a realistic intersection crash scenario, the study provides empirical data for assessing the effectiveness of structural optimizations. The severe injury outcome for the driver dummy, particularly the leg severance, highlights the potential risks associated with specific intrusion patterns and the importance of adequate side-impact protection and restraint systems.

Key finding

The driver dummy sustained a severed left leg at the knee, while the vehicle door separated from its mounts and the driver's seat detached from its floor attachments.

Methodology

simulator

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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