[XRoader_001]

Tata cars always use to feel robust well built only lacked in quality fit & finish sadly it still continues while most manufactures do have in house crash test facilities it’s always insightful to see well written tours of such facilities.

Tata is indeed torch bearer of safer cars in India although they are the only manufacturer who don’t offer rear middle passenger headrest in any of their product line up which is surprising isn’t it.

[Omkar]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

That detail about the shoe sizes of dummies are indeed remarkable, and I thought who cares about the dummies inside which are anyways built to get pounded !!

True, we don't really pay that much attention to these crash test dummies. Few more details -

• Apparently, the 20-year patent block of Humanetics is now over and other companies can also manufacture these dummies.
• There are about 42 sensors in each dummy. The total cost of one dummy is approximately upwards of Rs. 3 crore.
• In a frontal crash test (@64 km/h), these dummies experience forces of up to 40Gs.
• The sensors and parts of the dummies are replaced if and when needed and the whole dummy doesn't need to be replaced. The sensors are calibrated regularly and when the data is off the regular numbers for one particular sensor, it's replaced immediately. Skins are replaced regularly.

Originally Posted by bajica

After seeing this, one question which popped up - what happens to the crashed/testing vehicle after the test?

Is it reused or sent for scrap?

Once the crash test is done, then the process of investigation and compilation of results starts. This takes place over the next 3-4 days.

During this process, multiple pictures are taken at different stages of disassembling the car. Different parts are disassembled and sent for testing. As mentioned earlier in the report, the load dissipation in the structure is also studied in detail. The impact force is calculated and the impulse numbers are used for the Servo Sled Test to replicate the real-world impact.

The damaged parts are also kept intact and the impact on various parts is studied. To answer your question shortly, once all the post-crash processes are done, the car is scrapped. No parts are reused.

[zadoom]

Truly remarkable how much goes behind the scenes of these safety tests. I had also visited this crash test facility back in 2014 when TML had done some campaign for IT folks (if I remember correctly). The most amazing fact about the dummies that I remember, apart from the percentile markers to decide which dummies to be used, is the astonishing cost of these dummies. I don't recall the exact amounts but I do remember something like a single dummy being worth crores.

The crash test facility is truly their USP (at least for many years they were the only manufacturer in India to have their own Crash Test facility), wish they are able to soon give a tour of the QC & ASS capability as well to Media.

Cheers

[21Archer84]

Originally Posted by Omkar

• Apparently, the 20-year patent block of Humanetics is now over and other companies can also manufacture these dummies.
• There are about 42 sensors in each dummy. The total cost of one dummy is approximately upwards of Rs. 3 crore.
• In a frontal crash test (@64 km/h), these dummies experience forces of up to 40Gs.
• The sensors and parts of the dummies are replaced if and when needed and the whole dummy doesn't need to be replaced. The sensors are calibrated regularly and when the data is off the regular numbers for one particular sensor, it's replaced immediately. Skins are replaced regularly.

Once the crash test is done, then the process of investigation and compilation of results starts. This takes place over the next 3-4 days.

During this process, multiple pictures are taken at different stages of disassembling the car. Different parts are disassembled and sent for testing. As mentioned earlier in the report, the load dissipation in the structure is also studied in detail. The impact force is calculated and the impulse numbers are used for the Servo Sled Test to replicate the real-world impact.

The damaged parts are also kept intact and the impact on various parts is studied. To answer your question shortly, once all the post-crash processes are done, the car is scrapped. No parts are reused.

Thanks for sharing. Not many OEMs would want to share the infrastructure they have behind the walls. Kudos to TATAs.

There's a lot of research happening and has happened in the development of these Dummies, Humanetics still leads the way in my opinion. It takes lot of money and time in developing Test Dummies.

The G forces you mentioned would not have been possible to identify if not for the Dummies. Imagine putting a sensor on our chest to replicate a crash test scenario. People should realise and be made aware that it is next to impossible to counter the energy in case of a crash without a seat belt ON. Higher the speed, higher the G's.

A lot goes in the development of any product, let alone a car. Lot of documentation to understand how much intrusion happened due to a crash. The data is correlated with CAE(Computer Aided Engineering) and CAE helps in developing a Counter-Measure in case of not achieving desired results. Apparently, you don't have a physical car to test until the later stage of development. CAE is the virtual tool that helps with developing the car the way you want it to perform. Good Correlation with test, suggest the OEM has good CAE development process in place.
CAE is used not just to simulate Crash but also Durablity of the parts(Doors,TAILGATE,etc) and NVH.
Those in the simulation world, get a chance to have the feel of how the real world car might look years before the physical product is made.