Simplified method for evaluating energy loss in vehicle collisions

A method is proposed for the evaluation of energy loss in road vehicle collisions. The energy loss evaluation is an essential task to reconstruct the dynamics of a road accident. The proposed method combines the simplicity of visual evaluation, typical of the method based on EES (equivalent energy speed), with flexibility, in order to evaluate the energy loss on any kind of vehicle deformation profile, of the methods based on measuring residual crush. The method is based on linearizing the damage profile, so that it is possible to predetermine the analytical expression of the kinetic energy loss in relation to only two parameters that characterise the shape of the damage. The stiffness of the vehicle is determined by estimating the geometric parameters of the damage starting from a photograph of generic damage, with documented EES, on a vehicle of the same model as the one under investigation. The proposed method was validated performing crash tests and using data from crash tests found in the literature. The method estimate with sufficient accuracy the kinetic energy loss in deformation on vehicles. The method, thanks to its simplicity and versatility, can constitute a valid alternative to the classic procedures for evaluating energy loss commonly utilised.