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Impact safety

Impact safety



Various impact forces are absorbed by the deformation zones in the body and the structural members in the cabin enclosure.

The body of the Saab 9-5 is designed to create a survival area for the occupants in the event of a collision. Basically, the forces arising in a collision are slowed down by the deformation zones and propagated through the system of cabin beams forming a protective enclosure where the stresses will be distributed as uniformly as possible.

The large front deformation zones are designed to create a stable and robust deformation characteristic through their broad structure, which incorporates dual sections and short overhang. The central member with its dual sections distributes the force over a larger area, where the partition in the member answers for the stability. The front structure has three load distribution paths where 50% of the total impact load goes through the central member and 25% through each of the upper and lower paths respectively.


The most important component in case of a side impact is the B-pillar. which is designed to utilise the pendulum effect. Therefore, the B-pillar is extremely stiff in the middle and slightly softer in the upper and lower sections. This results in the B-pillar acting as a pendulum and directs the forces via the sills and into the car. The front doors have angled door members to direct the forces to the B-pillar and to increase the pendulum effect. Due to the robust design of the B-pillar, a larger proportion of the force impact is directed to the hip area of the body instead of to the much softer body areas at chest level.

It is extremely important to ensure that the properties of the energy-absorbing deformation zones and the stable "safety cage" cabin construction are not impaired or changed when a car body has been repaired. The cabin safety cage must never be weaker after a repair. Neither should the deformation zones be made stronger than they were before the damage to them occurred. An excessively strong front end or rear end propagates the forces arising in an impact instead of absorbing them, and the occupants are exposed to higher stresses.

Important

So that Saab Automobile AB can accept responsibility and guarantee that the car will have the same high standard of passive safety after a repair as it had before, it is vitally important for repair work to be carried out correctly using the proper materials.


Side impact protection in doors


Foam plastic spacers are fitted inside the doors to stiffen them and prevent them from being forced into the cabin in the event of a side collision.

Important

Always refit the spacers in the doors if they have been removed. This is extremely important for maintaining the safety demands on the car in the event of a side collision.