Safety Testing: A “Blast” Studying Next-gen Stability Control

By the Numbers

• The tank that supplies the water

cannon holds about nine gallons
• The compressed air is charged to 130 psi
Water cannon tests are used by Ford engineers to analyze how a moving vehicle • The recoil impulse of the water
reacts to being struck from the side – without putting test vehicles and drivers at discharge takes less than one-half
risk of damage or injury. Researchers say the new test could prove useful in the second
development of next-generation stability control technology.
• Reaction of the vehicle to the sudden
recoil takes about five seconds
Deploying the Water Cannon • Testing is done on both dry and wet
Ford engineers mount an air- asphalt to check vehicle reactions on
powered cannon – a tool commonly a variety of surfaces and conditions
used in mining operations and • Water-cannon testing began at Ford
pumpkin-throwing contests – in in December of 2008
the rear compartment of a test
vehicle. In this highly coordinated
maneuver, the cannon blasts water
outward, causing a recoil impulse “It’s a very effective test that
that forces the vehicle into a skid. demonstrates the ingenuity of
Engineers use the test data in our engineering team to think
computer simulations to help refine outside the box. We know of no
the technology, which reduces risk other automaker doing anything
to test drivers and reduces damage quite like it.”
to test vehicles.
– Jeff Rupp, manager,
Ford Active Safety Systems Engineering

From Hollywood to the Test Track

4 Million and Growing
When considering how to avoid
constantly crashing cars to Ford already is a world leader in
test them, Ford engineers first electronic stability control (ESC)
considered replicating how technology, with more than 4 million
Hollywood creates dramatic ESC-equipped vehicles currently on
wrecks for films. That proved the road globally,
impractical, so the Ford team took and plans to
another approach that led to air equip all of
cannons mounted in the vehicle. Ford, Lincoln
The engineering and research and Mercury
team then developed these water retail vehicles
tests, which simulate car-to-car with ESC by the
collisions without crashes. end of 2009.

5/2009 for more information, go to WWW.media.ford.com