Car and Components
Tests

Reliability and Safety
Tests

The type-testing of an automobile involves the verification of its conformity to the relevant standards, both as a whole and in detail.

It requires the performance of an extremely high number of tests that range from the testing of the reliability of the mechanical parts (brakes, engine, steering wheel, etc), to the vehiche’s safety aspects (crash, belt and seats connections, head-rests, etc) to the testing of the ergonomic and comfort aspects (visibility, commands identification, defrosting and demisting, etc). The tests also include the vehicle’s dimensions and mass, noise and exhaust fumes pollution. In the components sector, bumpers, dashboards, steering wheels, safety belts, tyres, tanks and rear- view mirrors are subjected to behavioural and type tests in accordance with the ECE UNO, EEC, StZVO (Germany), FMSS (USA), JIS (Japan) standards. The Mechanical Tests Laboratory is recognized by FIA (International automobile federation) for the type-testing of Formula 1 cars, sporte car components (seats, safety belts) and safety garments (racing driver suits)

The crash Laboratory for automobiles employs the most recent and advanced propulsion and control technologies that manage and guarantee impact velocities in the range of 4 to 80 km/h with the precision within 0,1 km/h, for the vehicles having a weight up to 3500 kg. The control system is designed to run the acceleration ramp between 0,1 and 0,5 g. The crash tests are filmed with Fast Motion Video system that permits the digital filming up to 1000 photograms/sec of all crash tests. The positioning of the videocameras permit the filming from either side, top view or from underneath of the tested automobile. Such films then, can be further elaborated by computer to obtain additional engineering dynamic behaviour all data and converted to VHS cassette system.

The Crash Laboratory has been equipped with data acquisition and elaboration system that permits to verify the tested vehicle impact velocity and decelerations at different points of the automobile.

In particular; in order to obtain the data relative to strenght resistance of the automobil during the dynamic event, it is possible to install an on board acquisition system. The system is capable to run up to 100 channels of acceleration acquisition, tahanks to monoaxial and triaxial sensors (accelerometers). The system has been built in conformity to relative ISO standard.

The same system is employed for the test data acquisition of the bio-mechanical dummies. The analysis of the biomechanical parameters is performed with a specific analysis software.

The laboratory is equipped with test dummies that reproduce the children whose the age ranges from zero up to 12 years with dummies Hybrid II, Hybrid III and Eurosid (Side Impact Dummy) and with dummies in conformity to ECE 16 regulations.

Tests performed by the laboratory