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 08 Nov 2004
New Sortimo GLOBELYST and DaimlerChrysler undergo crash testing
The new 3rd generation in-vehicle racking from Sortimo
International Ltd "GLOBELYST" was successfully crash-tested at the ADAC
Test Premises in Landsberg, Germany on 11th March 2004.
The
crash-test was conducted using realistic practical loadings in order to
rigorouslycheck the performance of the SORTIMO GLOBELYST in-vehicle
storage equipment system in the event of an accident under authentic
conditions at the ADAC Test Premises in Landsberg. A Mercedes-Benz Vito
was fitted with SORTIMO GLOBELYST units that had a weight of 113 kg and
were then loaded with sand bags with a payload of 350 kg – giving a
total load of 463 kg. This loading is well in excess of normal test
loads which can be as low as only 36 kg.
The SORTIMO GLOBELYST
van racking was mounted on SOBOFLEX – safety antislip floor insert.
SOBOFLEX is a 9-ply laminated birch with anchor fixing locations which
allow the equipment to be fixed to the floor insert and thereby
avoiding any drilling of the vehicle floor which can be dangerous and
reduces the residual value of the vehicle. Side fixings of each rack is
made using 3mm thick standard SORTIMO side brackets which pick up
internal reinforcing members in the vehicle sides.
The fully
equipped Mercedes-Benz Vito was tested at an impact speed of 50 km/h
(31.25mph) against a crash ECE-barrier at a 40% off set. The loading
was imposed for 30 ms in excess of 22 times gravity for the
acceleration to correspond to an intermittent stress of approximately
10 tons.
In the first phase of highest imposed shock load, the
energy was absorbed by the SOBOFLEX floor insert which commenced to
flex and transferred the loading to the SORTIMO GLOBELYST drawer
housings and then via the fastenings to the side bodywork of the
vehicle. The SORTIMO GLOBELYST equipment deformed – as expected – in
the direction of the driving whilst absorbing the energy generated by
the crash impact. In spite of the high stress the entire SORTIMO
GLOBELYST in-vehicle equipment and the load remained in it's fixed
position in the Mercedes-Benz Vito and at no time would have endangered
the occupants correctly seated in the cab area.
The load was
safely restrained by the new 3rd generation SORTIMO GLOBELYST van
racking equipment. Once more the crash-test proved the importance of
safely storing materials and tools. This reflects Sortimo's long
successful history of crash testing it's products. Back in 1995 SORTIMO
was the first European in-vehicle fitter to present the forum "Safety
and Transportation in Vehicles" to the public. The forum was aimed at
showing serious safety breaches in the area of transporting loads and
initiate appropriate remedial action in cooperation with the experts of
different automotive safety and accident prevention associations.
With
over 30 years of experience as Europe's largest manufacturer, supplier
and fitter of innovative secure van racking equipment for fleets of
light commercial vehicles, Sortimo have taken a great step forward and
re-invented in-vehicle equipment with Globelyst. Following the trend to
save on weight, the interior equipment of `SORTIMO Globelyst' is
dominated by lightweight components. The basic structure is an Aluspace
Frame made of very lightweight aluminium profiles which has been
created to combine a balance between low weight and high tensile
strength for highly flexible installation options.
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