Crash and learn
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Volvo says that in terms of its key core values – quality, environment and safety – safety is the one that it is best known for. ROADWAY gets up close and personal with Volvo's Safety Truck
You have probably seen it on Volvo stands at commercial vehicle shows
and events around the country. Yes, it is that FH12 460 6x2 liveried
with crash test dummies. The Volvo Safety Truck. So what is it all
about?
Volvo built the Safety Truck to celebrate its history of safety developments and exhibit the latest technology and thinking on commercial vehicle safety. ROADWAY borrowed it for a day and in the process learnt some useful facts about enhancing truck safety.
Volvo was founded in 1927 and the first significant mention of safety was in the 1936 sales manual. One of the co-founders, Gustaf Larson, wrote: 'An automobile conveys and is driven by people. The fundamental principle of all design work is, and must be safety.'
One of the most significant contributions to road safety is the three-point seatbelt – used day in and day out by motorists all over the world. When you look at it today it seems so simple but few people know that a Volvo designer called Nils Bohlin invented it in 1959. Volvo took out no patents on the design in the belief that it would benefit all motorists and as such it was not something from which it wanted to make commercial gain.
In terms of historical development on trucks not much happened until the start of the1960s. One might consider that safety testing in the 1960s is late in automotive terms but one has to remember that many cabs were still being built from wood and GRP. Compared with car development, trucks were still in the Stoneage.
Volvo's safety truck marks 35 years of the Volvo Truck Accident Investigation Team. Born out of the idea that you cannot manage or improve things unless you measure them, the team studied accidents involving trucks.
The group began work with the emergency services in and around Gothenburg. By working with this data, Volvo saw areas that needed to be addressed and the sort of tests that needed to be carried out in the design process. They also worked on location in other countries – for example they have conducted research around junction 10 of the M6.
Data lead to conclusions and Volvoís research highlighted the fact that in truck accidents only 6% of incidents involve injury to the truck driver, and of that 6%, 35% of incidents occur off road and a further 17% end up as rollovers. This is why tests are performed so high on the cab.
Based on its research Volvo was able to make massive developments between the various model types.
For example the F88 set the standard in the late 60s and early 70s on cab design, and steering wheel and soft trim designs were combined with a low bumper height to put the truckís cab in line with the cars of the day.
The F type evolved as safety systems developed during the 1980s. Some features were adopted as early accessories and some, like ABS, were fitted having been adopted by the EU as mandatory in the early 1990s.
It is worth noting that the simple three-point seat belt design in trucks has until recently has been optional and the only real rule that has applied is that if they are fitted they must be worn. Volvo adopted seatbelts as standard from October 1990, but sadly it takes a law to get drivers to wear them. A driver would not think of pulling away without strapping down the load, but fails to restrain the most important item in the vehicle as far their family are concerned, the person behind the wheel.
With the launch of the FH12 in 1993 Volvo drew on the safety success of the F-Type. At a cost of £650 million, the FH made a giant leap in truck safety terms and the product has continued to evolve over the years, pioneering front underrun protection, now mandatory on trucks in the EU. Featured on the Safety Truck, front underrun is now a major contributor when it comes to energy dissipation in a car/truck impact. 64% of all injuries in truck-related incidents are to car occupants; 30% to pedestrians and 6% are truck-on-truck.
Electronic braking means advanced safety systems can be offered with hill hold, also featured on the safety truck. The system automatically holds the truck on the service brakes until enough torque has built to allow the vehicle to pull away safely, avoiding roll backs.
Electronic stability program (ESP) is available on all Volvo 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 tractors with air suspension. It offers extra control when it comes to possible over and understeering by braking individual wheels. ESP is a major safety breakthrough on cars and has been proven to keep the vehicle under control when otherwise a crash would be inevitable. ESP has exactly the same effect on a truck.
Putting physics into action – lateral acceleration = V 2 /r where V is the speed and r is the radius of curvature.
The reason trucks fall over is that the lateral force on the vehicle is greater than the forces required to keep the vehicle upright. That force is mass x lateral acceleration. So in effect there is a critical lateral acceleration that should not be exceeded.
So if we increase lateral speed by going fast in to a corner, or sometimes more importantly if we reduce the radius of the bend, the truck will fall over. The latter is a common occurrence on roundabouts. A car pulls out, the truck driver swerves, tightening the radius, and the truck falls over. It is more natural to swerve than go for the brakes.
The ESP reacts by braking the relevant wheels and cutting back engine torque. Many operators believe that ESP is for brewery drays and tankers but all trucks can roll and if you have experienced one, around £640 for ESP is a tiny investment when it comes to the possible human and clean up costs.
The Volvo Safety Truck also has adaptive cruise control (ACC), which uses radar to ensure the safe distance between the truck and the vehicle in front. As the vehicle in front slows down, the system maintains the time gap by cutting back on engine torque and applying the engine brake and/or retarder and gear ratio down shifts.
When the target vehicle speeds up ACC responds. The future for ACC is to eventually brake the vehicle using the foundation brakes as well. This becomes a little spooky – drivers could find they have little to do.
The safety truck also has an SRS driver's air bag ñ standard in the FH since 1995 ñ red hi-vis seat belts, as well as shatterproof side windows. To give the driver more comfort and time to concentrate on the road the FH12 460 is fitted with Volvoís automated 12-speed, I-Shift transmission. To keep the driver safe the truck is fitted with smoke and gas attack alarms.
In-cab communication is a necessary evil. It has been proven that even talking on the phone while driving can be distracting, but often there is no alternative, especially in a 44-tonne artic that cannot be stopped wherever the driver wants.
The safety truck is fitted with the latest cab phone. Built into the dash facia, with controls on the steering wheel, the phone has a boom mike and speaker in the driver's headrest. The phone works off the SIM card from the driver's own mobile, which cuts out the need for expensive separate telephone accounts for each truck and drivers can move between trucks without confusing the transport office about who is where.
So where to next? Volvo believes that the future for transmissions is very much down the automated route, which is in line with industry trends.
At this year's CV Show, Volvo used the safety truck to demonstrate a system that aims to keep drivers awake. A camera monitors the driverís eye shift. It is linked to a computer that analyses the movements and triggers an alarm if the pattern indicates the driver is getting drowsy. The system is not in production but Volvo says that give it two years and it will be in the next safety vehicle, no doubt keeping numerous other clever and practical innovations company.
Keeping the crash test dummies company on the side of Volvoís 2005 Safety Truck is a list of safety landmarks in the companyís history.
Volvo started work on the first crash tests in 1960 and in 1961 these where absorbed to the Swedish cab tests, which today are still more stringent than any other legislative tests in the world. In 1969 Volvo established its own truck accident investigation team.
1977 F cab, new impact tests, knee protection, anti burst door, flame-proof material, energy absorbing dash.
1979 Inertia reel three-point seatbelt, deformable steering wheel.
1985 ABS and Z cam brakes on FL.
1990 Volvo fits seatbelts as standard in UK.
1993 FH computer design balances strength and weight.
1994 All Volvo trucks fitted with seat belts.
1995 US accident investigation team formed. Volvo introduces SRS airbags. SRS Airbag standard on FH12 in the UK.
1996 Volvo introduces FUPS on trucks. Smoke alarm in sleeper cabs.
1998 Disc brakes EBS with traction control introduced.
2001 Front underrun protection standard on tractors.
2001 First truck manufacturer to offer electronic stability program.
Volvo built the Safety Truck to celebrate its history of safety developments and exhibit the latest technology and thinking on commercial vehicle safety. ROADWAY borrowed it for a day and in the process learnt some useful facts about enhancing truck safety.
Volvo was founded in 1927 and the first significant mention of safety was in the 1936 sales manual. One of the co-founders, Gustaf Larson, wrote: 'An automobile conveys and is driven by people. The fundamental principle of all design work is, and must be safety.'
One of the most significant contributions to road safety is the three-point seatbelt – used day in and day out by motorists all over the world. When you look at it today it seems so simple but few people know that a Volvo designer called Nils Bohlin invented it in 1959. Volvo took out no patents on the design in the belief that it would benefit all motorists and as such it was not something from which it wanted to make commercial gain.
In terms of historical development on trucks not much happened until the start of the1960s. One might consider that safety testing in the 1960s is late in automotive terms but one has to remember that many cabs were still being built from wood and GRP. Compared with car development, trucks were still in the Stoneage.
Volvo's safety truck marks 35 years of the Volvo Truck Accident Investigation Team. Born out of the idea that you cannot manage or improve things unless you measure them, the team studied accidents involving trucks.
The group began work with the emergency services in and around Gothenburg. By working with this data, Volvo saw areas that needed to be addressed and the sort of tests that needed to be carried out in the design process. They also worked on location in other countries – for example they have conducted research around junction 10 of the M6.
Data lead to conclusions and Volvoís research highlighted the fact that in truck accidents only 6% of incidents involve injury to the truck driver, and of that 6%, 35% of incidents occur off road and a further 17% end up as rollovers. This is why tests are performed so high on the cab.
Based on its research Volvo was able to make massive developments between the various model types.
For example the F88 set the standard in the late 60s and early 70s on cab design, and steering wheel and soft trim designs were combined with a low bumper height to put the truckís cab in line with the cars of the day.
The F type evolved as safety systems developed during the 1980s. Some features were adopted as early accessories and some, like ABS, were fitted having been adopted by the EU as mandatory in the early 1990s.
It is worth noting that the simple three-point seat belt design in trucks has until recently has been optional and the only real rule that has applied is that if they are fitted they must be worn. Volvo adopted seatbelts as standard from October 1990, but sadly it takes a law to get drivers to wear them. A driver would not think of pulling away without strapping down the load, but fails to restrain the most important item in the vehicle as far their family are concerned, the person behind the wheel.
With the launch of the FH12 in 1993 Volvo drew on the safety success of the F-Type. At a cost of £650 million, the FH made a giant leap in truck safety terms and the product has continued to evolve over the years, pioneering front underrun protection, now mandatory on trucks in the EU. Featured on the Safety Truck, front underrun is now a major contributor when it comes to energy dissipation in a car/truck impact. 64% of all injuries in truck-related incidents are to car occupants; 30% to pedestrians and 6% are truck-on-truck.
Electronic braking means advanced safety systems can be offered with hill hold, also featured on the safety truck. The system automatically holds the truck on the service brakes until enough torque has built to allow the vehicle to pull away safely, avoiding roll backs.
Electronic stability program (ESP) is available on all Volvo 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 tractors with air suspension. It offers extra control when it comes to possible over and understeering by braking individual wheels. ESP is a major safety breakthrough on cars and has been proven to keep the vehicle under control when otherwise a crash would be inevitable. ESP has exactly the same effect on a truck.
Putting physics into action – lateral acceleration = V 2 /r where V is the speed and r is the radius of curvature.
The reason trucks fall over is that the lateral force on the vehicle is greater than the forces required to keep the vehicle upright. That force is mass x lateral acceleration. So in effect there is a critical lateral acceleration that should not be exceeded.
So if we increase lateral speed by going fast in to a corner, or sometimes more importantly if we reduce the radius of the bend, the truck will fall over. The latter is a common occurrence on roundabouts. A car pulls out, the truck driver swerves, tightening the radius, and the truck falls over. It is more natural to swerve than go for the brakes.
The ESP reacts by braking the relevant wheels and cutting back engine torque. Many operators believe that ESP is for brewery drays and tankers but all trucks can roll and if you have experienced one, around £640 for ESP is a tiny investment when it comes to the possible human and clean up costs.
The Volvo Safety Truck also has adaptive cruise control (ACC), which uses radar to ensure the safe distance between the truck and the vehicle in front. As the vehicle in front slows down, the system maintains the time gap by cutting back on engine torque and applying the engine brake and/or retarder and gear ratio down shifts.
When the target vehicle speeds up ACC responds. The future for ACC is to eventually brake the vehicle using the foundation brakes as well. This becomes a little spooky – drivers could find they have little to do.
The safety truck also has an SRS driver's air bag ñ standard in the FH since 1995 ñ red hi-vis seat belts, as well as shatterproof side windows. To give the driver more comfort and time to concentrate on the road the FH12 460 is fitted with Volvoís automated 12-speed, I-Shift transmission. To keep the driver safe the truck is fitted with smoke and gas attack alarms.
In-cab communication is a necessary evil. It has been proven that even talking on the phone while driving can be distracting, but often there is no alternative, especially in a 44-tonne artic that cannot be stopped wherever the driver wants.
The safety truck is fitted with the latest cab phone. Built into the dash facia, with controls on the steering wheel, the phone has a boom mike and speaker in the driver's headrest. The phone works off the SIM card from the driver's own mobile, which cuts out the need for expensive separate telephone accounts for each truck and drivers can move between trucks without confusing the transport office about who is where.
So where to next? Volvo believes that the future for transmissions is very much down the automated route, which is in line with industry trends.
At this year's CV Show, Volvo used the safety truck to demonstrate a system that aims to keep drivers awake. A camera monitors the driverís eye shift. It is linked to a computer that analyses the movements and triggers an alarm if the pattern indicates the driver is getting drowsy. The system is not in production but Volvo says that give it two years and it will be in the next safety vehicle, no doubt keeping numerous other clever and practical innovations company.
Dummy runs
Keeping the crash test dummies company on the side of Volvoís 2005 Safety Truck is a list of safety landmarks in the companyís history.
Volvo started work on the first crash tests in 1960 and in 1961 these where absorbed to the Swedish cab tests, which today are still more stringent than any other legislative tests in the world. In 1969 Volvo established its own truck accident investigation team.
Development diary
1977 F cab, new impact tests, knee protection, anti burst door, flame-proof material, energy absorbing dash.
1979 Inertia reel three-point seatbelt, deformable steering wheel.
1985 ABS and Z cam brakes on FL.
1990 Volvo fits seatbelts as standard in UK.
1993 FH computer design balances strength and weight.
1994 All Volvo trucks fitted with seat belts.
1995 US accident investigation team formed. Volvo introduces SRS airbags. SRS Airbag standard on FH12 in the UK.
1996 Volvo introduces FUPS on trucks. Smoke alarm in sleeper cabs.
1998 Disc brakes EBS with traction control introduced.
2001 Front underrun protection standard on tractors.
2001 First truck manufacturer to offer electronic stability program.
