The level of activity has grown over the years. Ten cars per week are now tested in the crash test laboratory - one of the leading facilities of its type in the world.

The Volvo Cars Safety Centre is designed to reproduce crashes of many different kinds. The crash test laboratory is equipped with two tracks, one movable and one fixed. The movable track can sweep by up to 90 degrees to enable tests of all kinds, from frontal to side collisions, to be carried out between cars travelling at different angles and different speeds.

The permanent track is long enough to enable the cars to be accelerated to speeds up to 120km/h. A series of other tests, such as rollover crashes or collisions with animals or other objects in the surrounding environment, can also be performed.

More than 100 crash tests per model
The requirements specified by various public agencies and bodies such as EuroNCAP and IIHS represent only part of the centre's work; Volvo Cars performs additional crash tests to ensure that the collision performance of its cars is the best possible. In the course of development, a new Volvo model undergoes at least 100 crash tests.

"To offer cars with a world-leading standard of safety, we have to verify that the systems protect occupants of various sizes at a wide range of speeds and in a variety of crash situations. It is the capacity to accurately replicate real-life crashes that makes our facility unique," explains Magnus Krokström, senior manager at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre.

In total, about 450 crash tests are performed annually. Since the designation of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre as a Safety Centre of Excellence for the Ford Motor Company, other makes of cars produced by the group - including Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford - are also tested there.

Reproduction of real-life crashes
Development and testing activities in the laboratory also involve the reconstruction of real-life crashes: "Analysing actual road accidents and then testing new safety systems in the laboratory enables us to improve the safety of our cars, making them safer in the real traffic environment also," says Krokström.

Because new legislation, market forces and safety systems constantly present the laboratory with new challenges, it is important to maintain close contact with the research community to ensure that resources are allocated correctly with an eye to future developments.

For example, when initially designing the Safety Centre in 1996, it was foreseen that compatibility, in the context of crashes between large and small cars, would be an important area of research in the future. And so it has proved.

Other types of testing that have grown in importance in recent years include rear-end collisions, which have become increasingly common in heavy urban traffic, and angled side collisions, which are a common occurrence at intersections.

"Although we have had to make some modifications since the early days, there are now almost no limits to what we can do in the laboratory," says Krokström.

Planning and follow-up
A crash test takes five days to complete. Three days are spent preparing the test car, fitting sensors and applying a matt paint, usually orange, to avoid reflections from the car while filming. The test dummies are also prepared at this time. Final preparation, including the installation of instrumentation systems and cameras, takes place the day before the actual test. On average, two crash tests are performed every day, ensuring effective use of the facility.

"Although test data can be read out within an hour, manual inspection of car and dummies is also required. Our analysts deliver a preliminary report to the car project team within 24 hours. This is followed by a more detailed analysis that can take up to a fortnight;" says Krokström.

Virtual simulations
Computerised crash simulations are performed using advanced computers about three and a half years prior to the production of a new car model. Physical testing commences about a year before the model is launched on the market. Test cars used by the project team for other tests are among the vehicles used for this purpose. The cars are updated as required to make them as similar as possible to the final version. However, no physical testing is carried out unless Volvo Cars' safety experts are satisfied with the results of virtual testing.