An across-the board survey of several aspects of crashworthiness is attempted, being in part an update and an improvement to the balance of an early monograph on the subject of The crashworthiness of vehicles of which the writer was co-author (1). Attention is given to perceiving this subject as three interconnected disciplines—materials engineering and design, combustion and fire, and medical engineering or biomechanics—but only after discussing some general guiding principles and the engineer's responsibility for the vehicles he or she produces.
The latter subjects, together with short separate sections on head injury, fire fundamentals with broad allusions to vehicle fire situations and studies of kinetic energy absorption systems, comprise Part 1 of the paper.
Part 2 reviews some types of collision concentrating on those involving road vehicles but with some attention to the other main types identified. Some useful and provocative conclusions are finally drawn.
The author has tried to provide a useful list of references, the needs of students and non-specialists being kept in mind throughout.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
JohnsonW.MamalisA. G.Crashworthiness of vehicles, 1978, 129 pp. Now out of print. (Mechanical Engineering Publications Limited, London).
2.
LagadecP.Major Technological risk (translated from French by OstwaldH.), 1982, 516 pp., (Pergamon Press, Oxford).
3.
JohnsonW.Impact strength of materials, 1972, 365 pp. (Edward Arnold).
4.
JonesN.Structural impact, 1989, 575 pp. (Cambridge University Press).
5.
AtkinsA. G.MaiY. W.Elastic and plastic fracture, 1985 (John Wiley, New York).
6.
AtkinsA. G.Tearing of thin metal sheets. In Structural failure (Eds. WierzbickiT.JonesN.), 1989, Ch. 4 (John Wiley).
7.
FairfullH. A.HullD.Energy absorption of polymer matrix composite structures: Frictional effects. In Structural failure (Eds WierzbickiT.JonesN.), 1989, Ch. 8, 546 pp. (John Wiley).
8.
FungY. C.Biomechanics: mechanical properties of living tissues, 1981 (Springer-Verlag, New York).
9.
GhistaD. N. (Ed.) Human body dynamics: impact, occupational and athletic aspects, 1982 (Oxford University Press).
10.
Safe Seminar on Product liability and air transportation of hazardous materials, Newport Beach, California, 12 and 13 April1978.
11.
SeveryD. M.BlaisdellB. R.KerkoffJ. F.Automotive collision fires. Eighteenth Conference on Car crashes, SEA paper 741180, 1974, pp. 113–199.
12.
GoldsmithW.Biomechanics of head injury. Three-part article in Trauma, October and December 1982 and February 1983 (Mathew Bender and Company, New York).
13.
GoldsmithW.Meaningful concepts of head injury criteria (to be published).
14.
SkoreckiJ.JohnsonW.ReidR.The Gadd Severity Index and measurements of acceleration when heading a football. Second Research Conference on Biokinetics of Impacts, Birmingham, 1975.
15.
BursI.LeesA.Quantification of impact accelerations of the head during the heading of a football. Science and football, Proceedings of the first world congress of football, Liverpool, April 1987 (E and F Spon, London).
16.
HolbournA. H. S.Mechanics of head injuries. Lancet, 1943, ii, 438.
17.
Aircraft survival design guide: fixed wing and helicopters, 5 Vols, 1980, 220 pp. (US Department of Commerce).
18.
PerroneN.A position paper on vehicle safety, September 1970 (Catholic University of America, Washington, DC).
19.
JohnsonW.ReidS. R.Metallic energy dissipating systems. Appl. Mech. Rev., ASME, March 1977, pp. 277–288.
20.
JohnsonW.ReidS. R.An up-date to reference (16). Appl. Mech. Rev., ASME, 1986, pp. 315–319.
21.
JohnsonW.WaltonA. C.An experimental investigation of the energy dissipation of a number of car bumpers under quasi-static loads. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1983, 1(3), 301–308.
22.
JohnsonW.WaltonA. C.Protection of car occupants in frontal impacts with heavy lorries: Frontal structures. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1983, 1(2), 111–124.
23.
LoweW. T.Al-HassaniS. T. S.JohnsonW.Impact behaviour of small scale model motor coaches. Proc. Instn Mech. Engnrs, Auto. Div., 1972, 186(36/72), 409–419.
24.
HartleyP.SturgessC. E. N.LeesA.RoweG. W.The static axial compression of tall hollow cylinders. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1981, 23(6), 473–485.
25.
MamalisA. G.ManolakisD. E.DemosthenousG. A.JohnsonW.Axial plastic collapse of thin bi-metallic tubes as energy dissipating systems. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1991, 10.
26.
KlintworthJ. W.StrongeW. J.Plane punch indentation of a ductile honeycomb. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1989, 31(5), 359–378.
27.
GibsonL. J. et al. Failure surfaces for cellular materials. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1989, 31(9), 635–663.
28.
JohnsonW.GuptaN. K.The compression of crossed layers of wooden bars. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1983, 25, 697–712. Rate effects in lateral compression for an energy absorbing unit of crossed layers of wooden bars. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1985, 3(2), 121–136.
29.
ReidS. R.Metal tubes as impact energy absorbers. Metal forming and impact mechanics, 1985, pp. 249–269 (Pergamon Press, Oxford).
30.
ZukosiE. E.Fluid dynamic aspects of room fires. Proceedings of first International Symposium on Fire safety science, 1986, p. 1, 1226 pp. (Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, New York).
31.
EmmonsH.The needed fire science. Proceedings of first International Symposium onFire safety science, 1986, p. 33, 1226 pp. (Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, New York).
32.
McKinnonG. P.TowerK. (Eds) Fire protection handbook, 15th edition, 1989 (National Fire Protection Agency).
33.
RushbrookF.Fire aboard, 2nd edition, 1973, 683 pp. (Brown, Son, and Ferguson Limited, Glasgow).
34.
LawM.A basis for the design of fire protection of building structures. The Structural Eng., 1983, 61A (i), 25–33.
35.
JohnsonW.Historical aspects of fires, after impact, in vehicles of war, Proceedings of first International Symposium onFire safety science, 1986, p. 761, 1226 pp. (Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, New York).
36.
CoxG.Computational fire dynamics. Chartered Mech. Eng., 1985.
37.
TborneP. F.The physics of fire extinguishment. Physics Technol., 1985, 16, 263–268.
38.
JohnsonW.Vehicle impact and fire hazards. Conference on Impact and crashworthiness (Ed. DaviesG. A. O.), Vol. 1, Keynote Lecture, 1984, 75–114.
39.
JohnsonW.Fire and damage after vehicular impact. Int. J. Mech. Engng Educ., 1986, 14(1), 13–21.
40.
JohnsonW.The siege of Gibraltar 1779–1783: Mostly relating to the shooting of hot shot and the setting fire to a besieging fleet. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1987, 6(3), 175–210.
41.
HorlickSir Ted, Naval engineering achievements in the liberation of the Falklands. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, Part D, 1984, 198(D11), 177–188.
42.
GuganK.Unconfined vapour cloud explosions, 1978, 168 pp. (Institute of Chemical Enginers, Rugby, UK).
LoneyS. L.Dynamics of a particle and rigid bodies, 1943, Ch. XIX, 395 pp. (Cambridge University Press).
45.
JohnsonW.Some contrasting static and dynamic damage or deformation patterns in bodies of simple geometry, October 1973 (Manchester Association of Engineers).
46.
LeeE. H.SymondsP. S.Large plastic deformation of beams under transverse impact loading. J. Appl. Mech., 1952, 74, 308.
47.
JohnsonW.ReddyYella T. Y.ReidS. R.Model road-tank metal vessels subject to internal explosion or static penetration. J. Strain Anal., 1980, 15(4), 225–233.
48.
BlyP. H.RileyB. S.Safety aspects of heavy goods vehicle design. Presented to the International Conference on Strategic highway research programmes and traffic safety on two continents, Gothenburg, September 1989 (Transportation Research Board, USA).
49.
NockO. S.Historic railway disasters, 1978, 255 pp. (Arrow Books, London).
50.
RoltL. T. C.Red for danger: a history of railway accidents and railway safety, 1982, 307 pp. (Pan Books Limited, London).
51.
ReedR. C.Train wrecks: a pictorial history of accidents on the main line. 1968, 183 pp. (Superior Publishing Company).
52.
JohnsonW.Structural damage in airship and rollong stock collisions. In Structural Crashworthiness, 1983, Ch. 15, 417–439.
BignellV.PetersG.PymC.Catastrophic failure, 1977, 273 pp. (Open University Press, Milton Keynes, UK).
55.
The resistance to impact of spent Magnox fuel transport flasks. 21 Seminar papers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 30 April and 1 May, 1985, 249 pp. (Mechanical Engineering Publication Limited, London).
56.
Airship design and operation, Vols I and II, Proceedings, November 1986 (Royal Aeronautical Society).
57.
JohnsonW.WaltonA. C.Airshipwreck: An analysis of the safety of rigid airships in terms of impact mechanics and fire. Fifth Symposium on Engineering applications of mechanics, Ottawa, Canada, June 1980, pp. 237–241.
58.
OpelFrank (Ed.) Early flight: from balloons to biplanes, 1987, 475 pp. (Castle, Secaucus, N. J.).
59.
CanningJ. (Ed.) Great disasters: catastrophes of the 20th century, (Octopus Press, London).
60.
KeylinA.BrownG. (Eds) Disasters (from the pages of the New York Times), 1871–1975, 1976, 307 pp. (Arno Press, New York).
61.
TolandJ.The great dirigibles: Triumphs and disasters, 1972, 352 pp. (Dover Publications, New York).
62.
BarlayS.Aircrash detective: the search for air safety, 1975, 395 pp. (Coronet Books, London).
63.
JonesN.A literature survey on the collision and grounding protection of ships. Ship Structure Committee, US Coastguard Headquarters, Washington, DC, 1979, 55 pp. (77 refs).
64.
MamalisA. G.ManolakisD. E.SaigoeS.ViegelahanG. L. D.Thin-walled frusta as energy absorbers. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1986, 28(4), 214–230.
65.
MurgaiM. P.Natural convection from combustion sources, 1976, 377 pp. (Oxford and 1BH Publishing Company, New Delhi, India).
66.
BondH. (Ed.) Fire and the air war, 1946 (National Fire Protection Association).
67.
MiddlebrookM.The battle of Hamburg, 1984, 424 pp. (Penguin Books).
68.
IrvingD.The destruction of Dresden, 1976 (The Elmfield Press).
69.
JohnsonW.Conspicuous aspects of the century of rapid changes in battleship armours, c. 1845–1945. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1988, 7(2), 261–294.
70.
JohnsonW.Oak targets and naval gunnery in the early 19th century. Int. J. Impact Engng, 1986, 4(3), 175–183.
71.
JohnsonW.ReidS. R.Ricochet of spheres off water. J. Mech. Engng Sci., 1975, 17(2), 71–78.
72.
GatesP. J.Surface warships, 1987, 193 pp. (Brassey's Defense Publishers, Oxford).
73.
LaibleR. C.Ballistic materials and penetration mechanics, 1980, pp. 297 (Elsevier).
74.
OgorkiewiczR. M.Armour: a history of mechanised forces, 1960, pp. 475 (F. A. Prager, New York).
75.
Simpkin. Tank warfare, 1979, pp. 233 (Brasseys Publications, London).
76.
JohnsonW.A simple model for the jack-knifing of a train of coaches. Int. J. Mech. Engng Educ., 1991, 19.
77.
DuncanI. G. T.McCannJ. B. C.BrownH.The investigation of derailments. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, 1977, 191(37/77).
