Experimental Safety Car Brochure 1972

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Volvo's Commitment to Improve Automotive SafetyWorldwide concern over automotivesafety is opening up the most intensive

search into all types of safety systemsand is generating vast financial invest-ments by automotive manufacturers

around the world.AB Volvo, Sweden's largest automo-

bile manufacturer, is responding to theinternational challenge by building a

fleet of 10 "rolling safety laboratories."These Volvo experimental safety cars

represent Volvo's significant contribu-tion to the worldwide effort to improveautomobile safety.

The experimental vehicles conform

to Volvo's own stringent safety require-ments, established in 1969 when itssafety car project was launched. Whenthe American experimental safety ve-hicle (ESV) requirements were released

in 1970, Volvo found that its require-ments coincided to a substantial degree

with the American ESV standards.

The safety vehicles are not intendedfor series production. Volvo has built

the operational cars for experimentalpurposes only and most of them will be

totally destroyed in the testing program.

Cars built for the experimental safety

car project will serve as productive tools

for Volvo in extending its safety im-provements,which Volvo hopes to incor-

porate into its models in the late 1970's.

Volvo's extensive participation in theinternational dialogue on automotive

safety is a continuation of its long-termcommitment to improving automotivesafety world wide.

"In 1969," said Rolf Mellde, chiefengineer of Volvo's Car Division,"Volvo decided to combine safety pro-

jects already underway with those that

were planned. This resulted in one large

safety project that is concentrating onbuilding maximum safety into cars suit-

able for series production."

Before designing and building thesafety car fleet, Volvo's engineers firstcarefully calculated and analyzed whathappens to the occupants and the car in

a frontal, side and rear collision. Exten-sive testing of production type cars was

also performed. Volvo thus determinedits own specific sub-systems require-ments which corresponded closely with

the U.S. ESV standards.Volvo expects its fleet of safety cars

to contribute heavily to the dialoguetaking place around the globe in the in-terests of automotive safety.


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must remain completely intact.To facilitate rescue work in the case

of a collision, Volvo will require that atleast two doors remain functional andcan be opened after each type of colli-

sion. A fire restraint interior is requiredas is a deceleration activated cutout fuelpump, positioned toward the rear, togive added protection against fire.

All sharp protusions have been elimi-nated in exterior design and styling. In-side the safety car, hip padding offersprotection for passengers in the event ofside collisions.

Maneuverability handling charac-teristics under normal and unusual op-erating conditionsplays a major rolein the testing program. A computer sim-

ulation already has proven that Volvosafety cars handle well under all condi-tions. The company's new test track willhelp provide the final answers.

A level control system in one of thesafety cars maintains a constant carlevel despite disproportionate weightloads in the trunk or passenger com-partment.

Another Volvo safety vehicle main-tains headlight alignment automaticallythrough a hydraulically regulated con-

trol unit at the rear suspension.


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Passenger Protection and Accident Avoidance SystemsVolvo designated its experimental safety

car project to evaluate parallel develop-ments of various safety systems. For in-

stance one of the two cars built to datehas front seats equipped with "semi-passive" safety belts which come into

operation automatically when the car isstarted and the hand brake released.

The second car has air bags for all oc-cupants, including air bags on the rearwindow shelf to protect back seat pas-sengers in rear end collisions.

The protruding bumpers undoubt-edly distinguish safety cars from ordi-

nary production vehicles. While thisprominent profile characteristic bearsthe mark of a well-considered design, it

plays a significant role in improving

automotive safety.

At speeds up to 10 miles per houragainst a fixed barrier, the protruding

front bumper will flex seven inches toabsorb the impact and to protect the carbody from damage. The rear bumperflexes three-and-one-half inches againsta movable barrier at the same speed.

In conjunction with a semi-passivesafety belt system, a "disappearing"steering wheel lessens the chances ofdriver injury by pulling away in a fron-

tal collision. Activated on impact by adeceleration sensor, the spring pulls the

steering wheel forward six inches.

In this car front-seat head restraintsare built into thickly-padded seat back-

rests. In a collision, they pop up auto-matically to provide added protection.

Volvo's safety standards include

headlight washers and wipers with acircular sweep to add to night drivingand poor weather visibility.

A system of high-strength steel mem-

bers protects the car bodies. A rollover

bar crosses the roof and tubular steelreinforcements run along the body in-side the doors. Special hooked-unitslock securely onto door posts to mini-mize side impact effects and to reduceintrusion into the passenger compart-

ment by another vehicle.Each rear window in the Volvo safety

cars is equipped with an electric de-mister/defroster and its own wiper andwasher.

An engine mounting system was spe-cially designed to increase passengerprotection in frontal collisions. On im-pact the engine is forced under the car,thus avoiding the extreme hazard ofengine block intrusion into the passen-ger compartment.

The experimental vehicles are pow-

ered by four-cylinder engines with elec-tronically controlled fuel injection. Theemission control system includes ex-haust gas recirculation, manifold air in-

jection and a catalytic converter.


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Experimental Safety Car

Automatic "semi-passive"3-point safety belts.

Electronic fuel injection engine

equipped with an exhaust gas

recirculation system and acatalytic reactor for pollution control.

Doubled steel members

surrounding the passenger compartment.

Doubled steel rollover bar.

Volvo Experimental Safety Car Specifications

Length 205.7" Track, front 58.3"Width 71.7" Track, rear 57.7"

Height 55.9" Weight 3200 lbs .

Recessedwindshield wipers.

Front and rear bumpers mounted

on telescoping shock absorbers.

Automatic pop-up head-restraints.

Rear seat passenger head restraints.

Safety positioned

fuel tank.

Headlight wipers and washers. Protectiveside molding.

Tubular lateral

reinforcements. Padded front

seat backrests.

Hooked doorlock units.

Rear suspension

leveling system.

Radial ply tires.

Electronically controlled anti-lock,4-wheel disc brake system.

Spring-loaded telescopingsteering wheel.

Front and rear bumpers mounted

on telescoping shock absorbers.

Wheelbase 106.4"

Documents

Experimental Safety Car Brochure 1972