Overview
ISO 3560:2013 - Road vehicles: Frontal fixed barrier or pole impact test procedure specifies a general, uniform procedure for conducting frontal impacts of road vehicles against fixed barriers or poles. It defines test-site requirements, barrier and pole characteristics, vehicle preparation, dummy installation, instrumentation and measurement practices to ensure accurate and repeatable frontal crash testing across a range of applicable configurations.
Keywords: ISO 3560, frontal impact test, fixed barrier, pole impact, vehicle safety testing, crash test procedure
Key Topics and Requirements
- Test site and surface: level, rigid crash pad with at least 10 m of suitable surface ahead of the impact object; slope tolerance ≤ 1 % over any 1 m for the last 10 m.
- Fixed barrier: block mass not less than 70 000 kg; permitted movement ±2 mm; minimum barrier face width 3 m and height 1.5 m. Barrier face options include rigid flat, deformable, rigid offset and anti‑slide device (ASD) configurations.
- Barrier face details: plywood covering 18–26 mm for rigid faces; ASD dimensions and placement are specified to control vehicle slide.
- Pole specification: circular, rigid pole 254 mm ± 3 mm diameter, mounted so the support does not introduce secondary impacts and set at least 1 500 mm away from vertical surfaces.
- Vehicle propulsion and alignment: vehicle released at least 0.5 m from the barrier; longitudinal axis within ±2° of intended impact angle; offset tolerance optimal ±20 mm (acceptable up to ±30 mm with caution).
- Velocity measurement: measured in the last 1.5 m (never less than 300 mm) after release; impact velocity tolerance ±0.5 km/h; measurement as per ISO 3784.
- Test vehicle mass and conditioning: includes kerb mass, specified cargo mass (0–136 kg depending on data) and test dummy mass; vehicle ballasted and balanced to within ±10 kg; fuel may be substituted with non‑flammable liquid of specified density range.
- Dummy installation and instrumentation: procedures cover dummy type, clothing, temperature, positioning (head, torso, pelvic angle, limbs) and measurement instrumentation per referenced measurement standards.
Applications and Users
ISO 3560 is used for:
- Vehicle manufacturers for design verification and occupant protection development
- Independent crash laboratories and test facilities to produce repeatable frontal impact data
- Regulatory and homologation agencies when comparing test protocols or harmonizing requirements
- Safety engineers, component suppliers and researchers conducting R&D or validation of restraint systems, structural design and crashworthiness
Related Standards
Normative references include ISO 612, ISO 1176, ISO 3784, ISO 6487, ISO 6549 and FMVSS 208. These govern dimensions, mass definitions, velocity measurement, instrumentation and dummy seating H‑/R‑point methods.
ISO 3560 provides the procedural backbone for consistent frontal barrier and pole impact testing to support vehicle safety assessment and comparative evaluation.
