Daimler Using X-ray Technology in Crash Tests to Increase Safety

Daimler AG’s Vehicle Safety Unit has joined hands with the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut and EMI from Freiburg to conduct studies on whether the use of x-ray technology during crash tests can help increase safety. The tests are being conducted at the i‑protect Tech Center.

Using ultra-fast x‑ray technology can help to get still images excellent quality of predefined areas during a test crash. Another advance that was made recently is that it is now possible to use this technology to examine safety-relevant components and assess their behavior during a crash. The data from the x‑ray crash can be combined with computer-based simulation models to help improve the reliability of crash simulations in predicting the impact of real‑life crashes.

Another area that the interdisciplinary team is studying at the i‑protect Tech Center is alternative restraint concepts, especially when it comes to the scenario of highly automated nature of driving that is likely to exist in the future. The team is investigating how passive safety can be enhanced through new approaches in the areas of interior monitoring and occupant classification.

When it comes to the models used in the crash tests, the use of virtual muscle-controlled movements represents another significant advance in the effort to use digital human body model instead of dummies for development of new preventive protection concepts.

Ever since the i‑protect Tech Center was set up on January 21, 2016, Daimler AG has been working with its partners to come up with sustainable solutions relating to integral safety for future mobility. The partners in the project are Robert Bosch GmbH, the University of Stuttgart, the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM) and the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI Freiburg, the Technical University of Dresden, the Technical University of Graz and the Klinikum Stuttgart.