Hydropuls® CSAadvanced
Modular Crash Simulation Sled System for Automotive Passive Safety Testing
Developing and validating automotive passive safety systems — airbags, seat belt systems, seats, and steering wheels — requires a testing platform that can accurately reproduce real crash sequences and standardized crash pulses, day after day, at the throughput demanded by modern vehicle development programs. The Hydropuls® CSAadvanced is that platform.
Developed by Instron with more than 50 years of applications experience in crash simulation and acceleration sled testing, the CSAadvanced is a modular, high-performance system trusted by automotive manufacturers and their suppliers worldwide. More than 60 Hydropuls® CSAadvanced systems have been installed and commissioned globally — 14 of them equipped with active controlled pitch motion simulation technology.
Designed for the Demands of Modern Passive Safety Development
The requirements placed on crash simulation systems have grown significantly as vehicle programs become more complex and regulatory requirements more stringent. New legal requirements and increasingly demanding consumer protection ratings — including NCAP — continue to drive the number of physical tests required in each development program. At the same time, development timelines are shortening and test lab efficiency has never been more critical.
The CSAadvanced is built to meet these demands. With capacity for up to 2,000 test shots per year, the system is designed for continuous, high-throughput operation. Intelligent solutions for fast test setup changeovers minimize the time between shots, and the ability to generate and iterate test pulses offline — without occupying the physical test system — generates significant additional time savings across the development program.
Critically, once a pulse has been validated, the CSAadvanced can reproduce it accurately for many years without the need to re-iterate signals or recalibrate the system. This ensures consistency of results across multiple development cycles and multiple test facilities — essential for programs that run over several years and across international supply chains.
Modular Architecture for Maximum Flexibility
The CSAadvanced is designed as a modular system, meaning additional test capabilities and accessories can be added to a base system at any time as program requirements evolve. This protects the initial investment and allows test laboratories to expand their capabilities incrementally without replacing the core system.
Standard Extensions - The following applications can be retrofitted to any CSAadvanced base system:
- Low Speed Rear Impact simulation
- Side and Pole Impact simulation
Productivity and Efficiency Accessories - The following accessories further increase the productivity and efficiency of the test laboratory:
- Frontal crash with pitch simulation — actively controlled pitch motion replicates the nose-dive behavior of a vehicle during frontal impact, enabling more realistic occupant kinematics
- Quick clamping system for test setup pallets — reduces changeover time between test configurations
- 2-Piece Sled — innovative sled design for enhanced flexibility and faster setup
- Camera outriggers — optimized high-speed camera positioning for comprehensive test documentation
- High Availability, Low Maintenance
The CSAadvanced is characterized by high system availability and minimal annual preventative maintenance requirements — keeping downtime low and test throughput high. When programs demand up to 2,000 shots per year, every hour of unplanned downtime has a direct impact on the development schedule. The CSAadvanced is designed to keep the laboratory running.
System Components
The Hydropuls® CSAadvanced integrates a range of Instron components, each engineered for precision and long-term reliability in demanding crash simulation environments:
Software
The CSAadvanced is supported by two dedicated software platforms:
- CrashSim - The primary system software for the Instron sled system — used for the preparation, execution, monitoring, analysis, and documentation of crash simulation tests. CrashSim manages the full test workflow from pulse setup through to results documentation.
- CrashSim Office - An offline version of CrashSim that allows engineers to prepare, iterate, and optimize test pulses away from the physical test system — freeing up sled time for testing and reducing the overall time required to develop and validate new pulses.
Talk to an Instron Expert.
Whether you are specifying a new crash simulation facility, looking to expand the capabilities of an existing sled system, or exploring retrofit options, our team has the applications experience to help you find the right solution.
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