Development and testing of launching sleds for ski barriers and wearable motorcycle protectors full scale testing

The aim of this thesis is to develop and test launch systems (catapults) for crash tests, in order to verify the correct functioning of safety devices and protections, focusing on the area of safety devices for ski slopes, a sector that does not currently have a European standard to regulate their construction and positioning, or specific prescriptions regarding the terms of impact containment and energy levels that safety devices must be able to absorb during impact; the other focus is on the certification of wearable protectors for motorcyclists, in particular being able to design a system capable of launching motorbikes, so that the devices can be tested. The thesis is in two parts, the first part concerning the development and testing of systems to test safety devices for ski slopes, and the second part concerning the development of systems to test and certify wearable protectors. In the first part, we developed and produced the catapult-1.2, which was adapted for the launch of the Hybrid III, an anthropomorphic system that reproduces the physical characteristics of man and is mainly used for crash testing cars. In our case it was used a skier to be launched on ski slope safety devices; the characteristic more interesting of this launch system is its flexibility, since it can be used in a controlled environment such as a laboratory, but also directly on the ski slopes, so that the various safety systems that can be installed can be tested under actual conditions of use. A laboratory test was carried out with this system to verify its operation. The system was then used to test the functioning of high-absorption air mattresses. In the second part, a system was designed to enable the Catapulta-2.2 to carry out motorbike launches with the Hybrid III mounted, which is fitted with a wearable protection, in this case a jacket version wearable airbag, supplied by the company Alpinestar. The Alpinestar company needed to certify this wearable protection, and turned to Dolomiticert, which collaborates with the University of Padua; a protocol was developed for certifying the protection according to the regulations; part of this included testing the functioning of the wearable device during various types of crash tests, with different impact conditions. Then a system was designed to be integrated into the catapult-2 that would be able to launch a motorbike with the Hybrid III installed on it.