This study is of a coordinated test and analysis program conducted to determine whether a previously proposed, linear, analytical model could be adapted to simulate low speed impacts for vehicles with various combinations of energy absorbing bumpers. The types of bumper systems impacting one another in the program included, in various combinations, foam, piston, and honeycomb systems. Impact speeds varied between 4.2 and 14.4 km/h (2.6 and 9.0 mph) and a total of 16 tests in 6 different combinations were conducted. The results of this study reveal that vehicle accelerations vary approximately linearly with impact velocity for a wide variety of bumper systems and that a linear mass-spring-damping model may be used to efficiently simulate each vehicle/bumper system for low-speed impacts.
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