MINI CARS RESEARCH SAFETY VEHICLE (1970s)

the automobile is the dominant form of transportation in the United States and it will continue to be so it not only provides us the most flexible form of Mobility it has become an integral part of the American economy but there is no denying the problems brought by the car and that's where the Department of Transportation comes in to help improve the benefits of the car while reducing its social costs the national highway traffic safety administration has set out to help make Autos safer by a establishing standards for all new cars now added to this is the task of improving fuel economy these goals safety and Energy Efficiency must be balanced with the conflicting goals of Environmental Protection and economy all jointly referred to as the s3e concept the program pursuing these goals is the research safety vehicle a four-stage program to design build and test safety features that could be included in cars by the mid 1980s by by 1985 the large car of the early' 70s will seem as outdated as the Model T as the percentage of small cars continues to grow but this trend carries with it increased danger for drivers and passengers because of the large vehicles that will still be on the road the RSV program therefore has locked onto the small car as the size for which research can provide the greatest payoff two firms have been chosen to design and fabricate economical cars weighing 3,00 ,000 lb or less capable of attaining at least 30 m per gallon while meeting High environmental standards and finally able to prevent fatalities in crashes up to 50 mph the two firms present radically different approaches to the development of an RSV calpan is employing a more conservative evolutionary method basing its RSV on a new production car a Sima 1308 a front engine front-wheel drive car manufactured in Europe the basic goal is to devise safety features that can be readily adapted to current design and production line assembly the first step was testing the production model to determine its capabilities and its weaknesses and to provide a database for analysis the car was tested for acceleration handling braking fuel economy and crash protection it was found to have some very good safety characteristics but was considered only average for crashworthiness in tests that included a front to side crash a front to rear crash a front to front offset crash and a sideswipe crash following these tests a new front fitted on a baseline car was designed to provide zero damage protection in crashes up to 7 mph composed of urethane foam the front is intended to be non-aggressive minimizing damage to other cars and injury to pedestrians in a basic move to improve occupant safety in crashes calpan installed a passive air belt restraint system for the driver and front seat passenger in a high-speed crash a chamber along the automatically affixed belt is inflated to cush in the chest load conversion of the Sima 1308 includes virtually every aspect of the vehicle new features were designed and molded and the parts pressed from sheet metal ready to be attached to the Simka body specific safety features that are being built into this RSV include extending the front section with improved energy absorbing structures strengthening of the sill to provide Extra Protection strengthening of the pillars inside and out and strengthening and padding of the door all helping to provide protection ins side impacts up to 40 mph safety with style and with features applicable to mass-produced cars in the near future has has been the goal for calpan permitting a thorough assessment of weight and cost of the s3e features the approach of many cars has been radically different from that of calpan this car is new from the ground up its purpose is to provide uniquely Innovative features to test their effectiveness and practicality for full production cars the weight of the car is around 2,000 lb the rear wheels are driven by a transverse mounted Honda stratified charge engine engine its basic structure is pressed light gauge sheet metal filled with poured rigid polyurethane foam which provides a very strong very light body with energy absorption features and permits very simple fabrication techniques the non-aggressive front section provides three-stage energy absorption the 9in thick front bumper of polyurethane foam absorbs crashes up to 10 mph without damage and a 15-in replaceable section behind that absorbs crashes up to 20 mph occupants are safely protected in frontal crashes up to 50 mph by the energy absorbing structure and front seat occupants are further protected by airbags that feature separate Chambers for head and torso the front end safety features are all concealed by a soft resilient plastic Body Glove designed to resist scuffing and minor dents and to minimize danger to pedestrians and other vehicles inside the car offers other novel features front seat backs are suspended by a transparent vinyl headrest airbags in the dashboard for the front seat passenger and on the steering wheel for the driver make minimal demands for space and even in cramped spaces the wide Gullwing doors permit ease of entry and exit for both front and rear seat passengers the mini cars RSV also includes Advanced electronic features like improved skid sensing anti-lock brakes and computerized radar to warn the driver of impending hazards and provide Advanced cruise control a prototype car has been extensively tested by minars for handling braking and stability further testing and evaluation of both the calpan and the mini cars rsvs will be conducted independently by the national highway traffic safety administration at about the Midway point the RSV program looks more important than ever the trend to smaller cars will doubtedly continue the RSV program will show how these cars can be made safe practicably the major objective of the program is to provide a sound technical database for future cost-effective safety standards and for voluntary adoption of safety features by the Auto industry throughout the world there is a need to relate the four basic considerations safety economy environment and energy in vehicle design the RSV provides design concept balancing these major considerations but it is not the final answer it is the Forerunner in the international effort to develop a comprehensive approach for Designing automobiles that are efficient clean economical and safe