Technical Summary

December 2007

NCAC 2007-T-006

NCAC Vehicle Model Development Update

Pick-up Truck Modeling

Table 1 Comparison of Pickup Truck Specifications

NCAC FE Models
Chevy
Ford F-250
Silverado
Model Year
2007
2006
Body Type
4 door crew
Extended cab
cab
Weight, kg
2337 (5152)
2910 (6415)
(lbs)
Wheelbase, in 144
142
CG, in
27.96

In March 2007, NCAC took delivery of a

2007 Chevy Silverado Quad-Cab pick-up truck.
This vehicle is being reverse engineered by the
NCAC staff to meet future research and
evaluation needs of both NHTSA and FHWA.
NHTSA is very interested in studying the different
Secondary Energy Absorbing Systems (SEAS)
and will use the resultant model in continued
vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility analysis. The
FHWAs interest stems from the fact that this
vehicle conforms to the large vehicle for the
proposed update to the NCHRP 350 roadside
hardware crashworthiness criteria.

Model Year
Body Type
Weight, kg
(lbs)
Wheelbase, in
CG, in

The new Chevy Silverado model meet the

requirements for the proposed AASHTO MASH
08 criteria, although it differs somewhat from the
specifications cited in the NCHRP 22-14(2) report
which was the basis for MASH 08. The
specifications for the two NCAC pick-up truck
models and the comparative data from the
NCHRP report are provided in Table 1. The
Silverado model is heavier than the 2270 kg
requirements, but has the appropriate body style
and center of gravity. The Ford F250 model
represents a heavier vehicle by almost 1300
pounds. It is useful to note that the 2007
Silverado weighs less than the 2002 Dodge Ram
1500 which was the basis for the proposed
criteria. Changes in the weight of vehicle models
are common between model years.

NCHRP Project 22-14(2) Report

Ford F-250
Dodge Ram 1500
2002
2002
Regular cab
Quad cab
2286 (5035)
2452 (5356)
137
28.4

160
27.4

Table 2 Inertial Testing Results

2007 Chevy Silverado, Inertia test results
Pitch inertia, ft-lb-sec2
4542
Yaw inertia, ft-lb-sec2
4763
Roll inertia, ft-lb-sec2
776
Vehicle CG, in
27.96

NCAC also conducted non-destructive

testing of the Chevy Silverado for use in the
validation of the model. A series of low speed
bump tests were con-ducted at FOIL to gather
data for suspension validation. Standard 10x2
speed bump made of recycled plastic was used
with an additional 2 support as shown in the
Figure 1. The front and rear suspensions were
instrumented with accelerometers and string pot
potentiometers to measure the rate of suspension
deflection. The vehicle was run over these
bumps at various speeds for one- and both-side
bump positions and the data from the various
instruments recorded.

For the first time, the Chevy Silverado was

sent for inertial testing at a commercial lab prior
to teardown to provide a new set of data for use
in validating and calibrating the FE model that will
result from the reverse engineering. The decision
to incur the additional costs for the inertial testing
was made to support efforts to develop
procedures to increase the confidence in FE
modeling and crash simulation. The basic results
form this testing are provided in Table 2.

reduced the time required to digitize parts. It is

expected that the finite element model will include
over 900,000 elements. The reverse engineering
and frontal impact validation process is expected
to be completed by May 2008. Computer images
of the cab and frame resulting from these efforts
are shown in Figure 3.

Small Vehicle
There is a plan to start building a new
small car model in late 2008. The current NCAC
Dodge Neon small car model is over ten years
old and it is out of production. NHTSA has a need
for the small car for additional vehicle -to-vehicle
compatibility evaluation. Further, the proposed
update to NCHRP 350 also calls for a small car in
the 1100 kg range. Table 3 below indicates the
specifications data that has been gathered for the
small compact car segment (from Edmonds
website). It can be noted that all but one of the
small cars noted meet the 1100 +/-25 kg weight
requirement in the proposed update. NHTSA has
expressed interest in the Honda Civic to better
understand the Advanced Compatibility
Engineering (ACE) structure that Honda has
introduced in its fleet. The Kia Rio has, however,
been the vehicle used in the early crash tests
under the proposed update to NCXHRP 350. A
final decision on which vehicle will become the
next NCAC is pending while these differences are
resolved.

Figure 1 Standard bump for suspension response

tests

Figure 2 Bump tests for Chevy Silverado

Similar tests were conducted using a Geo

Metro to allow comparisons for small and large
vehicles.
Currently, the vehicle is being
systematically disassembled and digitized using
both traditional taping methods and a laser
scanning device to generate surface geometry of
the vehicle. The laser device has considerably

Figure 3 Computer images of the cab and frame

components of the Chevy Silverado.

With Congress is calling for an increase to

an average fuel economy of 35 mpg by 2020
new vehicle types have been proposed and some
are even appearing in the market place. New
micro-cars (subcompacts) are expected to gain
traction in the U.S. due to their improved styling
and superior fuel economy. The Smart Fortwo
car from Mercedes which weighs only 750 kg will
start selling in the US in 2008 (see Figure 4).
With the growing number of small sub-compact
cars entering the US fleet, the compatibility
between these vehicles and roadside hardware
needs to be addressed. Further, these microcars
are expected to rely on a significantly more rigid
structure (see Figure 5) which may result in
different post barrier impact behaviors.

Intermediate Vehicle
The NCAC recently completed the
validation of a 2001 Ford Taurus. Since there are
suggestions that some crashworthiness testing
involve a mid-sized vehicle, it is useful to consider
the characteristics of those currently on the
market as shown in Table 4.

Figure 4 Mercedes Smart Fortwo microcar.

Figure 6 Views of the NCAC Ford Taurus Model

Figure 5 Structure of the Mercedes Smart Fortwo

micro car.

Table 3 Summary of small car specifications for current models.

Make & Model
Kia Rio
Honda Fit
Toyota Yaris
Mini Cooper
Chevrolet Aveo
Scion Xb
Honda Civic
Ford Focus
Toyota Corolla
Smart Fortwo

Model
Year
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2007
2008
2008

Curb Weight
Kg
1090
1140
1055
1155
1148
1400
1220
1196
1177
750

Wheelbase,
in
98
97
100
97
98
102
106
103
102
74

Length, in

Width, in

Engine

167
157
169
146
170
167
177
175
178
106

67
66
67
66
67
69
69
67
67
61

1.6 L 4 cyl
1.5 L 4 cyl
1.5 L 4 cyl
1.6 L 4 cyl
1.6 L 4 cyl
2.4 L 4 cyl
1.8 L 4 cyl
2.0 L 4 cyl
1.8L 4 cyl
1.0L 3 cyl

Table 3 Summary of mid-sized car specifications for current models

Make & Model

Year

Ford Taurus
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Ford Fusion
Chevy Malibu
Kia Optima
Nissan Altima
Mits. Galant
Pontiac G6

2001
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008

Curb Weight
(kg)
1521
1492
1500
1443
NA
1442
1418
1555
1499

Wheelbase
(in)
109
110
109
107
112
107
109
108
112

Length
(in)
198
194
189
190
192
186
190
191
189

Width (in)
73
73
72
72
70
71
71
72
71

NCAC Staff
Dr. Steve Kan, Director
703-726-8511
cdkan@ncac.gwu.edu

For More Information:

See the NCAC Website (www.ncac@gwu.edu) for
more information including:
A PowerPoint file providing the trace plots and
animations is available for downloading.
Information on other NCAC efforts

Dr. Dhafer Marzougui

703-726-8532
dmarzoug@ncac.gwu.edu

Or, contact:
FHWA Roadside Safety Team
Dr. Ken Opiela, PE (Team Leader)
202-493-3371
kenneth.opiela@fhwa.dot.gov

This Technical Summary was produced under

Cooperative Agreement DTFH61-02-X-00076
Operation & Maintenance of the
FHWA/NHTSA National Crash Analysis Center
between FHWA and George Washington
University.