Side sled test systems: a review

With the introduction of dynamic ECE-R95 and FMVSS 214 crash test requirements, there has been an increasing demand for systems enabling evaluation of performance of door and components of passive safety for side impacts without a need to perform full-scale crash tests. Full-scale crash tests result in substantive economic burden for vehicle development departments and prove to be time consuming. This review describes more than twenty side sled test systems designed for airbags, side door bars and door trim testing and the determination of their respective dynamic force-deflection characteristics. The simple sled test systems that use only one piston and do not allow door deformation are described here, as well as the sophisticated sled test systems that use multiple pistons and advanced simulation of door deformation in real time. In this review, the principle of each system is explained clearly and its advantages and disadvantages are evaluated.