IMVITER

Implementation of Virtual Testing in Safety Regulations

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Computer aided engineering is a routinely used technology for the design and testing of road vehicles, including the simulation of their response to an impact and the prediction of the risk of injuries sustained by the potential victims. But, so far, the release of a vehicle on the market still depends on the verification of the product compliance with safety standards through a series of type approval physical tests. To increase car industry competitiveness by reducing the burden of this type approval test system and to improve road safety by raising the quality level of protection measures, recent initiatives have been taken by both industry and public authorities, to promote the use of alternative ways (e.g. virtual test through numerical simulation) to check vehicle compliance with safety standards. The main objective of this project is the implementation of virtual (VT) procedures in existing safety standards by consolidation of advanced VT technologies, analyzing the ensuing costs and benefits and looking for the improvement of homologation procedures as well as setting the base for improvement of integrative safety. The achievement of this objective implies among others, that the accuracy of the simulation models and procedures can be assured and rated independently of the modelling process, software tools, computing platform and the performing organization (end user). Procedures that consider uncertainties due to different real tests results (depending on the lab performing), input parameters dispersion, etc. will be taken into account in these processes. In this project, the future potential of Virtual Testing will be investigated not only to fully substitute real testing (RT) in regulations but also to define procedures for fully virtual testing including biomechanics validation of real and virtual test devices and to evaluate transferring the process of VT to new advanced safety systems (active and pre-crash safety systems).'

Introduzione (Teaser)

High-tech testing to improve vehicle safety will help Europe's car production industry become more competitive and sustainable.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Safety in the road transport industry has always been a pivotal consideration for European car makers and policymakers alike. However, expensive and laborious testing methods are hampering time to market and the competitiveness of new car technologies, prompting the EU to consider more reliable and efficient ways to advance the industry. In this context, the EU-funded project 'Implementation of virtual testing in safety regulations' (IMVITER) strengthened the concept of virtual testing in safety regulations.

Bringing together 15 partners from Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy and Hungary, all involved in vehicle-type approval processes, the project studied ways to replace or support existing testing methods. To implement virtual testing, IMVITER selected four regulatory acts related to pedestrian protection, seatbelt strength and vehicle towing. The project evaluated the simulation models' predictability to ensure that they are as reliable as physical tests.

Principally, the project worked on ways to increasingly replace current vehicle tests with virtual performance assessment based on computer-aided engineering (CAD). More specifically, it investigated how virtual testing could assess linear deformations produced by static loads and non-linear deformations produced by dynamic loads, reducing costs and increasing competitiveness.

IMVITER found that while the potential of simulation cannot replace all physical testing at this point, virtual testing demonstrates clear benefits in cases where repetitive testing is needed. The technology has proven particularly useful in cost-intensive tests and has opened the door to exploring more virtual testing approaches and solutions. Progress in this area can be found on the project's website.

Overall, the project's results have helped define procedures for virtual testing, including the validation of virtual test devices. It also helped analyse the feasibility and potential of these procedures and brought the industry closer to assessing new advanced safety systems with the support of virtual testing. This will ultimately cement Europe's pioneering spirit and primacy in the auto industry, making the sector more competitive than ever before.