Crash tests in X-ray vision

Up to now, the exact deformation processes taking place deep inside car structures during crash remained hidden. The dynamic processes can be reproduced approximatively in simulations. However, it has so far been very difficult to analyze them experimentally. Using the X-ray Car Crash (X-CC) technology, the possibility of observing the said dynamic behavior of hidden structures under crash loading is investigated at the crash center of Fraunhofer EMI. The enhanced validation and optimization of the predictive power of crash simulations is the overall objective of this project.

In this context, scientists of Fraunhofer EMI and of the Development Center X-ray Technology (EZRT, Fraunhofer IIS) are developing an integral measuring and evaluation method within the framework of the Fraunhofer-internal research project MAVO fastXcrash. The goals of the project range from the development of a high-energy panel detector module to the development of an extensive analysis software. Since this method has the potential to offer a valuable contribution to the process of automotive development, the research activities are supported both by EMI funds as well as interinstitutionally by the Fraunhofer Headquarters.