DEFORMATION ENERGY OF THE TRANSPORT MEANS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Abstract

The article considers the method for assessing the energy of deformations of the transport vehicles in road traffic accidents (RTAs). The intensity of the transport vehicles operation, as well as the increase in their number is accompanied by numerous accidents. In most cases, accidents are caused by the violation of speed limits. In this regard, methods, able to assess the strain energy consumed during the impacts of motor vehicles are relevant. The determination of the energy of deformation and destruction of the structural elements of vehicles is important for determining the speed of the transport vehicles motion before a collision. Besides, information, regarding the energy used to deform vehicles in road accident conditions allows vehicle manufacturers to reduce the amount of expensive, less informative and extremely inflexible car tests. In the given research, the problem of estimating the energy before a collision, based on full-scale tests is solved. On the example of automotive technical expertise, initial data were obtained to determine the values of the speeds of automobiles, as well as their deformation energy absorbed during the impact.

The essence of the model for assessing the strain energy is that any inelastic impact between transport vehicles leads to an equivalent elastic impact, which takes into account the total energy consumption, including the work of deformation, the work of the forces of resistance to the displacement of the transport vehicles in the process of the repulsion after the impact and kinetic losses in the process of the impact. The reliability of the developed method for assessing the energy of deformation of vehicles in the condition of the traffic accident is confirmed. Based on full-scale tests, the strain energy is determined by the energy equivalent method and the hardness method. Satisfactory convergence of the results of calculating the strain energy by two methods is shown. The results obtained confirm the reliability of determining the speed calculated by these methods, as well as using a surveillance camera. The hardness method, proposed as an alternative to the energy equivalent method, enables to calculate the energy in the conditions of the traffic accident of any transport vehicles, including cars for which ”crash-tests” are not carried out.