What is an impact bar on a car?
An impact bar is a special mechanical device that distributes the load of an impact over a wide surface area. An automobile bumper is typically based on an impact bar design. Bumpers reduce damage to the car and occupants by limiting the explosive effects of a collision.
Where are rear impact guards attached to the frame?
Typically, the vertical supports of rear impact guards are attached to the longitudinal members of the trailer frame that have sufficient strength to withstand loads transferred from the guard in the event of a rear impact.
How much does a rear impact guard cost?
Table 10—Cost (2013 Dollars) and Weight of Different Types of Rear Impact Guards The average cost of a Canadian compliant rear impact guard is $492, which is $229 more than an FMVSS No. 224 compliant guard.
How effective are rear impact guards in preventing PCI?
All the rear impact guards on the trailers that were compliant with CMVSS No. 223 were able to prevent passenger compartment intrusion in full overlap crashes. In the tests with 50 percent overlap of the Malibu, all the guards except the 2013 Vanguard was able to prevent PCI.
What does an impact bar do?
Impact bars help improve the safety of vehicles in case of a collision. An impact bar is a special mechanical device that distributes the load of an impact over a wide surface area. The bar is made with a special rectangular design that forces any impacted weight to be distributed of the entire surface area of the bar.7 days ago
What is behind the impact bar on a car?
Bumpers reduce damage to the car and occupants by limiting the explosive effects of a collision. The bar has in internal rectangle cut-out area that is designed to spread the load of impact across the entire beam.Feb 26, 2022
What is a rear bumper impact bar?
The visible part of your bumper is just a cosmetic piece, but tucked underneath, you'll find a bumper impact bar, bumper impact absorber, and several mounting brackets to hold your bumper in place. On your Nissan, the Bumper Impact Bar is a rigid metal bar that is designed to diffuse impact energy in a crash.
What is the metal bar behind the rear bumper?
This part is generally called the impact bar, or sometimes reinforcement bar or bumper reinforcer, and, along with the (often styrofoam, sometimes plastic, missing or hidden in your picture) absorber pad, serves the actual safety purpose of a modern bumper.Oct 11, 2016
Is the impact bar part of the frame?
no that is not the frame... that is the front impact bar. it can be easly replaced with a few bolts.Feb 6, 2006
What are impact absorbing bumpers?
The first energy-absorbing bumpers were typically made by placing pistons between the front of the frame and the back of the bumper. Today, the bumpers are made out of plastic and cars use crumple zones to absorb the impact of a low-speed accident.
What does 5 mph bumper mean?
What is a 5 mph bumper? Five miles per hour is a benchmark, an impact speed at which bumpers could easily — but generally don't — prevent all but very minor cosmetic damage in barrier tests.May 29, 2017
How much impact can a bumper take?
Today, standard passenger vehicle bumpers have a rigid reinforcing bar under the outer cover, with sections of compressible foam or plastic underneath. In the United States, passenger car bumpers must absorb a five mph impact from another vehicle with no damage to the car body.May 1, 2020
Why do new cars not have bumpers?
The primary reason why cars have no longer bumpers is due to the federal law that needs rear and front bumper to withstand the results of a lower speed with no or little damage to the car. The law however differs in various nations. Individuals often like a clean look with no rear or front bumpers.
What is the plastic behind the bumper called?
That's why some automakers add a plastic strip (also called a front lower valance or air dam) to the bottom of the bumper on their cars. However, these plastic strips are also vulnerable to damage, as plastic breaks easily.
What is bar on back of truck called?
Those steel bars hanging from the truck's platform bed are known as a “rear underride guards” or “rear impact guards.” They are designed to prevent vehicles from sliding underneath a trailer during a rear-end collision.Oct 22, 2019
What does a bumper bar do?
The bar protects your child from falling out of his stroller, without being in the way when the child is about to go in and out of the baby carriage. With a simple push of a button you open one of two locks so that the bumper bar can be swing to the side.
When did the NHTSA mandate rear impact guards?
223, “Rear impact guards,”) that became effective in 2007.
What is the rear extremity of a boat tail?
223. The change is intended to ensure that aerodynamic fairings are located within a certain safe zone at the rear of the trailer. Aerodynamic fairings on the rear of trailers, also known as “boat tails,” are rear-mounted panels on trailers that reduce aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption.
What is a boat tail?
Aerodynamic fairings on the rear of trailers, also known as “boat tails,” are rear-mounted panels on trailers that reduce aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption. Boat tails generally extend several feet beyond the end of the trailer. [ 55] Some boat tails protrude so far rearward that they could strike the passenger compartment of a vehicle that impacts the trailer from the rear, notwithstanding the presence of an upgraded underride guard.
How far is the P1 from the lateral edge?
NHTSA is not proposing to move the P1 location farther outboard. The P1 location is about 300 mm (12 inches) from the lateral edge for typical rear impact guards. NHTSA is concerned that moving the P1 location would not benefit safety overall.
What is the weight rating for rear impact guards?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires rear impact guards on trailers and semitrailers with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or more manufactured on or after January 26, 1998 ( 49 CFR 393.86 ). However, that standard incorporates FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224 by reference, ...
How far does a rear impact guard need to be from the side of the trailer?
A rear impact guard must extend outboard to within 100 millimeters (4 inches) of the side extremities of the vehicle, but may not extend beyond the side extremities.
What is underride guard?
In 1996, the agency established standards for underride guards for trailers and semitrailers in order to reduce the risk to passenger vehicle occupants in crashes in which a passenger vehicle impacts the rear end of a trailer or semitrailer. In establishing these standards, the agency recognized that compliance with the requirements was not practicable for a small number of vehicles due to the presence of work-performing equipment mounted on the rear of a trailer or semitrailer. These vehicles are designated as “special purpose vehicles” and are excluded from the standard. Today's final rule amends the definition of “special purpose vehicle” by adding a precise description of the cubic area in which work-performing equipment must reside in or move through while a trailer is moving. We have also determined that the addition of those specifications eliminates the need to exclude expressly vehicles equipped with specific liftgate designs. Finally, we are amending the requirements regarding the location of the rearmost surface of an impact guard as proposed.
What is rear underride?
224, Rear impact protection ( 61 FR 2004; January 24, 1996; Docket No. 1-11). A rear underride crash is a crash in which the front end of a passenger car, light truck, or multipurpose vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 lb) or less (referred to collectively as “passenger vehicles”) collides with and slides under ( i.e., underrides) the rear end of a trailer or semitrailer (referred to collectively as “trailers”). Underride can potentially occur when a trailer chassis is higher than the hood of a passenger vehicle. In the worst cases, referred to as passenger compartment intrusion (PCI) crashes, the passenger vehicle underrides so far that the rear end of the trailer breaks the vehicle's windshield and enters its passenger compartment. PCI crashes generally result in injuries and fatalities to the passenger vehicle occupants due to their contact with the rear of the trailer. In 1996, when the underride guard standards were established, we estimated that about 11,551 rear-end crashes with trailers occurred annually, resulting in approximately 423 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities and about 5,030 non-fatal injuries. [ 1]
What is PCI in a car?
In the worst cases, referred to as passenger compartment intrusion (PCI) crashes, the passenger vehicle underrides so far that the rear end of the trailer breaks the vehicle's windshield and enters its passenger compartment.
What is the purpose of a steel bar on a trailer?
What is exactly the purpose of the bar? Well, it’s actually one of the most important safety features on the trailer. Those steel bars hanging from the truck’s platform bed are known as a “rear underride guards” or “rear impact guards.”.
Why do bumpers help in a car vs car collision?
That absorption happens because car bumpers minimize height differences of any two vehicles.
Why do truckers need side underride guards?
In recent years, several truck safety advocacy groups have encouraged lawmakers and administrators to require side underride guards to protect passenger vehicles from similar problems in side-impact crashes. In March 2019, senators from both sides of the aisle reintroduced legislation that would require trailers to be equipped with side underride ...
What is a mansfield bar?
Because of this, rear underride guards are sometimes referred to as “Mansfield bars.”. In 1996, the NHTSA upgraded the required rear underride guard regulations to improve the standardized production quality.
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
- Introduction
This NPRM proposes to upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 223, “Rear impact guards,” and FMVSS No. 224, “Rear impact protection,” which together address rear underride protection in crashes into trailers and semitrailers. NHTSA is proposing to adopt requi… - Origins of This Rulemaking
NHTSA's interest in this rulemaking originated from the findings of a 2009 NHTSA study [2] to evaluate why fatalities were still occurring in frontal crashes despite high rates of seat belt use and the presence of air bags and other advanced safety features. NHTSA reviewed cases of fron…
II. Overview of Existing Standards
- FMVSSs
FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224 were established in 1998 to reduce the risk of PCI by upgrading then-existing rear impact guards to make them stronger but energy-absorbing as well. FMVSS No. 223, an equipment standard, specifies strength and energy absorption requirements in quasi-static fo… - CMVSS
Transport Canada's upgraded CMVSS No. 223, “Rear impact guards,” was issued in 2005 and became effective in 2007.[18] Given that passenger car models manufactured on or after 2005 in Canada are required to provide adequate occupant protection to restrained occupants in 56 km/…
III. IIHS Petition For Rulemaking
- In 2011, IIHS petitioned NHTSA to upgrade FMVSS No. 223 and 224 “to require underride guards that are strong enough to [allow] the energy absorbing structures of passenger vehicles to deform and provide protection to their occupants.” IIHS conducted crash tests in which a model year (MY) 2010 Chevrolet Malibu (a midsize sedan) impacted the rear of various trailers equipped with rea…
v. Specific Aspects of The Proposal to Upgrade The Standards
- Although NHTSA has granted the IIHS and Karth/TSC petitions, not all aspects of the petitions have been granted. Specific aspects of the petitions are discussed below. To the extent NHTSA disagrees with suggested changes to FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224 in the petitions, NHTSA denies the requested change.
VII. Cost and Benefits Analysis
- NHTSA has prepared a Preliminary Regulatory Evaluation (PRE) for this NPRM and has placed a copy of the PRE in the docket. For estimating the benefits of requiring applicable trailers to be equipped with CMVSS No. 223 certified guards, NHTSA estimated the annual number of fatalities in light vehicle crashes with PCI into the rear of trailers. NHTSA only considered fatal crashes wi…
VIII. Proposed Lead Time
- NHTSA proposes a lead time of two years following date of publication of a final rule. NHTSA provided a two year lead time when FMVSS Nos. 223 and 224 were adopted. We note that 93 percent of trailers already meet the requirements of CMVSS No. 223, so we tentatively conclude that two years will provide sufficient time for guard and trailer manufacturers to meet the requir…
IX. Regulatory Notices and Analyses
- Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), E.O. 13563, and DOT Regulator…
The agency has considered the impact of this rulemaking action under E.O. 12866, E.O. 13563, and the Department of Transportation's regulatory policies and procedures. This rulemaking was not reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget under E.O. 12866, “Regulatory Planning a… - Regulatory Flexibility Act
Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) of 1996) whenever an agency is required to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking or final rule, it must prepare and make available for pub…
X. Public Participation
- In developing this proposal, we tried to address the concerns of all our stakeholders. Your comments will help us improve this proposed rule. We welcome your views on all aspects of this proposed rule, but request comments on specific issues throughout this document. Your comments will be most effective if you follow the suggestions below: 1. Explain your views and r…