ABSTRACT
The techniques for providing direct human protection in vehicles are strongly related to the efficacy of the passenger cell to prevent damage to the occupant in vehicular collisions. Attention of the manufacturers, research and design engineers, bioengineers and other related professionals, has been directed towards it, in particular over the last thirty years. A large number of citations of publications of several annular conferences proceedings on automobile crush situations and design mechanics have been cited, whilst substantial efforts have been made by manufacturers to improve the crash resistance—generally termed Crashworthiness—of their vehicles. This concept is intimately related to the energy absorption capability of the vehicle. The combination of crashworthiness and the effectiveness of the body protector jointly determine the survivability of the occupants. Since there is a much more restricted capability of the latter to prevent human injury, it is evident that the vehicular resistivity must be enhanced to the maximum practical limit to provide the greatest level of safety. Reference [1] is a useful general starting point for all aspects of crashworthy impact situations.
