The APV Test Centre offers various types of Frontal Vehicle Protection System (FVPS) tests.
APV-T has developed a sled test method to assist manufacturers of Frontal Vehicle Protection Systems (FVPS), or bull bars and nudge bars, to assess the effects of their FVPS on a vehicle structure during a crash event.
In all FVPS testing, the sled is equipped simulate the real vehicle mass, the original chassis structure and stiffness profile. The APV FPVS Airbag Compatibility test uses sled mounted accelerometer data to evaluate and compare the FVPS 'Crash Pulse' (Deceleration/Time) and Delta V curves with the vehicle's original equipment bumper bar at the 'airbag fire/no fire' threshold velocity of 16km/h.
APV also offers FPVS rigid barrier sled testing at the ADR69 specified velocity of 48 km/h intended to support product development and the design verification process. All bull bar sled testing offers high-speed video services to further evaluate the impact characteristics.
The intended purpose of sled testing is to allow dynamic assessment of a FVPS structure on a system intended to replicate the appropriate vehicle type. This testing will allow manufacturers to exhibit reasonable precaution and due care in design of their FVPS by demonstrating that their product provide similar impact characteristics to the original vehicle, does not detach during impact and is not likely to adversely affect airbag deployment characteristics and the original vehicles ADR compliance.
A full vehicle crash test demonstrates that the alterations to the vehicle structure have not affected the original compliance of the vehicle.
Using our accredited full vehicle crash test facility, bull bar manufacturers can test to:
Manufacturers can also test to different load cases such as low speed airbag 'must not fire' velocity, ADR 73 offset frontal 56km/h an additional ADR compliance test for class M vehicles only and ANCAP 64km/h offset frontal consumer test.
We can also perform crash tests to simulate hitting large animal (80kg) and small animal (23kg). This can be done so that bull bar manufacturers can investigate the subsequent performance of their product.
Tests can be setup, using sandbags as animal equivalents and massed to simulate the required animal type. The effects of both central and offset impacts can be investigated at velocities of up to 80km/h depending on customer requirements.
Please contact us with any enquiries
