Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/479227
The impact test TR U C K T E C H N O LO GY 1959 is the year Volvo becomes the first in the world to crash-test their vehicle by swinging a pendulum weighing more than a ton into a cab. The test, still used today, has evolved over the decades but still consists of the three basic portions developed more than 50 years ago. First, the cab's roof is subjected to a weight of 16.5 tons. After this, a cylinder-shaped pendulum strikes the cab's front left support pillar. Finally the pendulum hits the back wall of the cab. The pendulum is released from a height of 10 feet. The three stages correspond to an accident sequence in which the truck driver first drives off the road and the vehicle then rolls over and crashes into a tree or other hard object. The blow to the back of the cab is equivalent to the truck's trailer sliding forward and hitting the cab from the rear. To pass the test, physical damage to the cab should not endanger the driver or other passengers' survival space. The cab must also retain its original structure, with no major holes or protruding sharp edges. The doors must remain closed, but at the same time it must be possible to open them without tools or other equipment. In 1960 the test became a legal standard in Sweden, as it was until April 2009 when it was replaced by an EU law, ECR 29. This law does not require that the cab be subjected to as much force as previously. Even so, Volvo Trucks has far more stringent impact test. D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #1/2015 39