Definition
Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its contents (occupants or cargo) during an impact. The term usually refers to the capacity of a structural system to dissipate kinetic impact energy by itself, by means of a controlled and predictable deformation. Thus, the kinetic energy is transformed into inelastic strain energy, heat, and fracture energy.
Crashworthiness performance is one of the main drivers in automotive design nowadays, and its importance is considerable also in aircraft and railway transportation. The safety of a vehicle is affected by multiple factors, components, and systems. Among them, those involved in preventing and avoiding accidents, or reducing their severity, are encompassed under the category of active safety. On the other hand, passive safety refers to vehicle elements that mitigate the consequences of an accident, such as occupant retention systems,...
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Díaz, J., Costas, M. (2019). Crashworthiness. In: Altenbach, H., Öchsner, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Continuum Mechanics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53605-6_223-1
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