DISCUSSION: Pole Impacts

The reconstruction and/or simulation of vehicle impacts into poles/trees pose a different problem than normal car-to-car collisions. First, the object being struck is a narrow width, non-deforming object. All kinetic energy dissipated during the collision is absorbed by the vehicle structure (unless the pole or tree fractures). Also, an important aspect of a vehicle collision with a pole/tree is the location of the pole/tree on the vehicle periphery. The pole/tree is a narrow object. The location of the tree/pole on the vehicle at impact determines the characteristics of the crush resistance force of the vehicle (i.e., is the impact location on the vehicle a hard or soft area of the vehicle structure?). Another consideration is if the pole/tree is offset from the center of gravity of the vehicle at impact, then the vehicle has an additional degree-of-freedom to rotate in response to the collision with the pole/tree in addition to crushing the vehicle structure. This can sometimes complicate the analysis of pole/tree impacts.

The following are some frontal and side pole impact tests and the corresponding calculations of K stiffness values.

On the next two pages are tables of all the Pole Impact crash tests contained in the NHTSA crash test database. You can obtain more detailed information on the cited tests by accessing the NHTSA Crash Test database (m-edit Tools Menu – Database) and selecting the crash test by Test Number.

We will be adding a more complete writeup on interpretation and reconstruction of pole impacts in the near future.

Figure 11 Summary of some side impacts against rigid pole tests

Table 1 Pole Impact Tests in the NHTSA Crash Test Database

Test#	Make	Model	Year	Body	Wgt	Velocity	Angle	Offset	L	Crush	D
4433	Chevy	C10 PU	1986	PU	4433	20	270	15.8	12	16.9	15.8
2185	Chevy	Caprice	1992	4dr	4202	5.2	0	0	6.1	0.5	0
2186	Chevy	Caprice	1992	4dr	4202	9.9	0	0	11.6	13.9	0
2187	Chevy	Caprice	1992	4dr	4202	10.1	0	0	15.8	20	0
2188	Chevy	Caprice	1992	4dr	4202	19.8	0	0	22.2	28.8	0
2189	Chevy	Caprice	1992	4dr	4202	35	0	0	28.4	42.5	0
862	Chevy	Impala	1983	4dr	4310	29.8	0	0	70.4	28.3	0
698	Chevy	Vega	1973	3dr	2558	19.6	0		61	22	11.5
709	Chevy	Vega	1973	3dr	2658	20.1	0		61	21	0
518	Chevy	Vega	1974	3dr	2805	20	0	2.8	8	16	2.8
867	Dodge	Colt	1979	3dr	1962	30.1	270	-19.5	8	17.3	0
909	Dodge	Colt	1979	2dr	1800	24.6	0	0	53	23	0
1106	Dodge	Colt	1980	3dr	2010	28.6	270	-8	104.1	26	-16
473	Dodge	Colt	1981	3dr	2265	20	0	9.7	62.4	17	9.7
473	Dodge	Colt	1981	3dr	2265	20	9.7		62.4	17	9.7
1107	Dodge	Colt	1981	3dr	2010	30.5	270	-8	63	9.5	-16
1225	Dodge	Colt	1981	3dr	2010	28.9	270	n/a	47.5	7.5	-9.8
680	Dodge	Diplomat	1981	4dr	4271	29.9	0		14	29.3	n/a
846	Dodge	Omni	1983	5dr	2888	29.8	0	0	19.5	30.2	0
876	Dodge	Omni	1983	5dr	2788	30	0	9.5	66.6	26.3	-9.5
910	Dodge	St. Regis	1979	2dr	4500	31.8	270	-14.1	8	8.5	0
911	Dodge	St. Regis	1979	2dr	1800	10.3	0	0	92.6	12	0
2114	Ford	F150 PU	1986	PU	4136	20.3	270	18.8	12	23.5	18.8
761	Ford	LTD	1980	4dr	4260	29.9	0		48	32.5	0
666	Ford	LTD	1982	4dr	4356	30.1	0		12	31.4	n/a
2170	Ford	Taurus	1987	4dr	3569	4.9	0		9	2.2	0
2171	Ford	Taurus	1987	4dr	3569	9.9	0		18.6	14.7	0
2172	Ford	Taurus	1987	4dr	3569	9.9	0		19.4	18.2	0
2173	Ford	Taurus	1987	4dr	3569	19.9	0		19.2	26	0
2174	Ford	Taurus	1987	4dr	3569	34.9	0		18.5	42.3	0
819	Honda	Accord	1984	4dr	2939	30	0		12	31.2	0
873	Honda	Accord	1984	4dr	2824	30	0	9.5	61.9	29.6	-9.5
857	Honda	Civic	1979	3dr	1964	29.2	270	-15.3	8	10.5	0
907	Honda	Civic	1979	2dr	1806	25.7	0	0	68.1	19	0
449	Honda	Civic	1981	3dr	2095	20	0	8	23	15	8
700	Honda	Civic	1981	3dr	2090	19.9	0		59.9	15	-4.5
1648	Hyundai	Excel GLS	1987	4dr	2172	9.5			10.5	11.2	0
1649	Hyundai	Excel GLS	1987	4dr	2172	9.6			12	12.8	0
1650	Hyundai	Excel GLS	1987	4dr	2172	14.6			12	17.5	0
1651	Hyundai	Excel GLS	1987	4dr	2172	29.6			13.9	29.4	0

Table 2 Pole Impact Tests in the NHTSA Crash Test Database (cont.)

Test#	Make	Model	Year	Body	Wgt	Velocity	Angle	Offset	L	Crush	D
1841	Nissan	Sentra	1985	4dr	2297	9.7	0	0	12	13.2	0
1842	Nissan	Sentra	1985	4dr	2297	9.8	0	0	12	15.4	0
1843	Nissan	Sentra	1985	4dr	2297	14.7	0	0	12	19.3	0
1844	Nissan	Sentra	1985	4dr	2297	19.9	0	0	12	24	0
1845	Nissan	Sentra	1985	4dr	2297	35	0		12	40.3	0
825	Other			3dr	1700	20.1	0		53	12.8	-4
1105	Plymouth	Champ	1980	3dr	2010	29.4	270	-8	75.1	10	-22.5
1108	Plymouth	Champ	1981	3dr	2010	29.7	270	-8	60	10	-18
1109	Plymouth	Champ	1981	3dr	2010	29.5	270	-8	94.1	13	-23
1224	Plymouth	Champ	1981	3dr	2010	29.3	270	n/a	157.1	36	-18.5
1226	Plymouth	Champ	1981	3dr	2010	29.6	270	n/a	64	7.5	-19
847	Renault	Fuego	1983	3dr	3024	29.9	0	0	31.7	25	0
872	Renault	Fuego	1983	3dr	2942	30	0	9.5	51.5	26.1	-9.5
2266	Toyota	Corolla	1993	4dr	2449	24.2	90	-43.3	84.1	-16	44
432	VW	Rabbit	1976	2dr	2140	61.6	0	-14.3	44	18.5
441	VW	Rabbit	1976	2dr	2126	19	0	-12.3	48	15.1	0
442	VW	Rabbit	1976	2dr	2013	30.4	270	-15.5	77.1	11.5	n/a
469	VW	Rabbit	1976	2dr	1954	30	45	14	88.1	7.6	12
768	VW	Rabbit	1977	3dr	2615	25	315	n/a	32	17.3	-3
858	VW	Rabbit	1979	3dr	1990	28.4	270	-18.8	8	11.1	0
908	VW	Rabbit	1979	2dr	1835	24.7	0	0	55	22	0
476	VW	Rabbit	1981	5dr	2509	20	0	-14.2	55	17	14.2
476	VW	Rabbit	1981	5dr	2509	20	0	-14.2	55.5	17	14.2
662	VW	Rabbit	1981	5dr	2178	20.2	0	-12.5	56.7	16	13
749	VW	Rabbit	1981	3dr	2590	20.1	315		32	23.2	4.5
755	VW	Rabbit	1981	3dr	2580	19.9	315		42	18.5	61.4
762	VW	Rabbit	1981	3dr	2600	25	315		31	19.3	6.5

Articulated Vehicle Option