Spatial Impulse-Momentum Collision Model in Programs for Simulation of Vehicle Accidents

Abstract

The impulse-momentum collision model of two vehicles–or any two bodies–is described in the literature, as a rule, in terms of planar mechanics. In the article a 3D generalization is presented in order to better understand its operation in modern software for simulation of vehicle accidents. This article covers theory (in a concise vector-matrix notation), examples, references to validation and a brief discussion about unrelenting popularity of the impulse-momentum model in accident simulation in the finite element method perspective.