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Crash
Test Report
MIM Construction
AB has evaluated the dog crate Variocage in car crashes from
the safety aspect of both the dog and passengers. Out of a variety
of crashes the rear-end collision is probably the biggest threat
to passenger safety. The luggage compartment is a part of the
deformation zone around the passenger compartment that protects
passengers from intrusion in collisions. In a rear-end collision
the rear-end is pushed forward by the intrusion caused by the
hitting vehicle. Objects in the luggage compartment are then
pushed forward. The amount of intrusion is limited by the stiffness
of the car and the speed and energy of the hitting vehicle.
A dog crate placed in the luggage compartment affects the balance
of the system. If the crate is too stiff the back of the rear
seats will yield and collapse in a rear-end crash.
When passengers
occupy the rear seat the change of the deformation zone becomes
dangerous if the back of the rear seat does not stop the dog
crate. This type of collision is common in all countries.
It is thus essential that the crate is constructed in a way
that makes it collapse in a controlled way in severe rear-end
crashes.
The speed
that was used in the rear-end crash test was 30 km/h. It is
equal to at a stand still getting hit from behind by a car
with the same weight as the hit car doing 55 km/h. Part of
a Volvo V70 body was placed on a crash test sled. The crate
was then placed in the luggage compartment against the seat
back. Two 35-kg dog dummies were placed inside the crate.
The crate was pushed forward during the crash by a plate big
enough to hit the entire rear-end of the crate. The plate
was used to simulate the intrusion of the hitting vehicle.
A Variocage
XL dog crate for two dogs was tested. The loading of the seat
back was moderate and no visible deformation of the seat structure
could be found after the test.
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Picture
1: The plate enters the luggage compartment just a little
bit above the floor and push the crate forward during the braking
of the crash test sled.
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crate was compressed about 150 mm after the test. No sharp edges
dangerous to the dog could be found. Both gates could be opened.
The emergency gate was not jammed and could be opened. |
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Picture
2: The crate was compressed approximately 150mm. No sharp
edges could be found.
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A frontal
collision test was also performed. Two 35-kg dummies were
placed in a Variocage XL for two dogs. The test speed was
50 km/h and the retardation was approximately 24 g, which
corresponds to 2,5 tonnes of loading of the rear seat. The
crate was slightly compressed by its own weight during the
collision. No sharp edges were found. Both gates could be
opened. The emergency gate was not jammed and could be opened.
The front wall of the crate was deformed by the dummies during
the crash test. That was positive as it took care of some
of the energy during impact and it would have helped the dogs
in a real crash. No deformation of the seats could be found.
The forces
in a roll over are difficult to create in a controlled way
in a crash lab. They are randomised and can come from any
direction. The falling distance in a roll over is not very
high and the crate is close to the centre of gravity. It is
thus the impact from the falling that is interesting and easy
to create. A Variocage XL single crate was tested in a drop
test to see if the crate could handle forces in the corner
of the gate. The crate was dropped from a height of 70 cm,
which corresponds, to a speed change of 13,3 km/h when it
hits the concrete floor. With the lower hinge corner of the
crate facing down and a 45-kg dummy inside the impact of the
crate is quite rough. The crate handled the impact well and
did not open or crack in any other way that would be dangerous
to the dog.
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Picture
3: The Variocage crate after the drop test was resting on
its side. |
| If
you would like to see the crash test report for the crates in
PDF format then please click here. |
Concept
For more
than twenty years, Mim Construction AB (the manufacturers of
the crate, based in Sweden) has worked with functional designs
of safety details in the vehicle industry. They have documentation
from hundreds of crash-tests, where their protection details
are used. Mim has followed the major car-manufacturers´
use of crumple-zones.
The Variocage (Safedog crate) was developed based on their long
experience in the production of safety accessories. The initial
models were sold by the thousands and the recent models are
today exported to many European countries.
Since
we started promoting the crates at shows one of the most common
expressions we hear from people is 'my dog is fine on the
back seat'. But the crates give unique protection to both
humans and animals during an unexpected accident. The cages
are constructed to reach the highest level of safety and are
the only ones on the market that fulfil the demands at rear-end
collisions. The
safety cages are made of steel and are sprayed in grey and
black shades. The locking mechanism has a sturdy hasp and
keys. No features can hurt the dog. During an unexpected accident
the escape door in the rear of the cage can be used. The cages
are absolutely silent – no noise. All models are equipped
with a rubber mat.
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Escape
door
If the front gates are blocked the escape door can be used.
In a few simple operations the rear section can be removed (undoing
two bolts on the single crates; three bolts on the doubles).
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Crumple
zone
In a rear-end collision the cage will be compressed in a controlled
manner to the same extent as the crumple zones of the car. This
means that the rear seat back will not be pushed forward by
the cage, minimizing the risk of damage to both passengers and
dog. |
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Double
crate with detachable divider
The mid-section easily adjusts sideways if one of the dogs needs
more space. If you have a large dog or if you want to give a
single dog more space, the mid-section is easily detached. The
cage can easily be “tailor-made” for the car by adjusting
the length to suit the size of your boot space. |
