A method for accurate crush stiffness coefficient estimation

One of the well-established and validated methods commonly used in vehicular accident reconstruction involved analyzing the crush damage experienced by vehicles during the collision impulse. A significant challenge in using this method, however, was the difficulty to obtain crush stiffness coefficients for the subject vehicle. One current method was the use of generic vehicle estimations, which grossly averaged known vehicles. These vehicles were grouped into classes based on wheelbase, a common divisor used by NHTSA and other automotive bodies. The question this study asks, in forensic engineering cases involving automobile collisions, could pre-impact velocities be determined using a new way to estimate the crush stiffness coefficients that have not been crash tested by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration?