Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 34

What kind of crash will this be today ?
Dummy H- : An A Sedan will drive
into a special crash barrier, head-on, at
 kilometers per hour. Imagine the
tremendous forces acting on the vehicle
and occupants. To dissipate this energy,
the front end of the car deforms, absorb-
ing as much energy as possible and thus
protecting the passengers inside as far
as possible. The crash is meticulously
documented. We have six cameras in
the car, and six more are permanently
installed along the crash track. These
record up to , images per second
in HD quality. The crash takes place over
a glass fl oor. There are cameras here as
well that record the deformations of the
fl oor pan. A precise analysis of the mea-
surements and recordings is performed
following the crash.
How many crash tests are conducted
before an Audi A is launched on the
market ?
Dummy H- : There are about  tests
from the fi rst prototype to fi nal release.
A wide range of di erent types of tests
are performed. Our engineers from Vehi-
cle Safety Development are involved in
the development process at a very early
stage so that changes can be made, if
necessary. Everything is tested virtually
in simulation before the real-world
tests in which we dummies have to risk
our heads. We therefore contribute
to the smoothest possible development
progress from the very beginning.
The strip of lights at the crash track chang-
es from green to red. A loud signal sounds.
Is that the start ?
Dummy H- : Exactly. A traction device
accelerates our A Sedan until it slams
into the crash barrier at  kilometers
per hour. And here it comes … watch
closely ! Too bad about the beautiful A.
But it’s a necessary step in order to thor-
oughly test our vehicles and make them
even safer for our customers.
What will the dummy of the future
look like ?
Dummy H- : To get realistic measure-
ments, the movements of the dummies
must be as close to human as possible.
The engineers call this “biofi delity.”
That’s why dummies are under constant
development. One of my new colleagues
on the dummy team is THOR-M. Around
 data sources on his body provide
precise information about the loads that
occurred at, for example, the head,
thorax, pelvis and legs during the crash.
RED LIGHTS INDICATE DANGER :
AUDI EXIT WARNING
The car is stopped, but other vehicles are
approaching from behind. The system
then warns the occupants when opening
the doors. High-output LEDs light up
red in what is assessed to be a dangerous
situation.
“I am proud to be a part of vehicle
development and to contribute
toward making the vehicles even safer.”
PHOTOS : Wolfram Scheible, AUDI AG
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Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report