Ground collisions of high-speed vehicles and soft bodies

Abstract
In collisions between soft bodies and airplanes, high impact velocities easily cause structural deformation and failure. On the other hand, whilst the velocity of high-speed ground transportation is less than that of airplanes, there is still a need to develop safe designs for high-speed ground vehicles such as bullet trains that take into account collisions with heavier animals than birds. Furthermore, we have seen cases on high-speed expressways where the 100-kg tire of a truck has come off and attack the windshield of the oncoming car, thus injuring the driver or others. This paper discusses the results of structural failures in collisions between soft bodies heavier than a bird and vehicles traveling at less than 500 km/h. In this paper, the failure behaviors of laminated glass, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and polycarbonate were discussed under the parameters of impact velocity and soft body mass.