Inverse analysis of pre- and post-impact dynamics for vehicle accident reconstruction

Abstract

In the dynamic analysis of the vehicular accident reconstruction, the vehicle motion is typically analyzed in three phases. These are pre-impact motion, impact motion, and post-impact motion, which are usually analyzed in reverse order of occurrence. Tire-ground forces are important during the pre- and post-impact motions, and less important during the impact. We present a vehicular dynamic model for pre- and post-impact as a rigid body which moves under the influence of tire-ground forces. Using a forward simulation analysis, we show how the initial sliding conditions can be computed with several final data points for vehicle's position and orientation, referred to as the inverse analysis algorithm for the accident reconstruction.