Search Results

This paper presents the results of a study to quantify rib deformation under diagonal concentrated (seatbelt-like) anterior loading and distributed (airbag-like) anterior loading as a function of chest deflection using computed tomography (CT) imaging. Three-dimensional measurements were taken using radio-opaque markers installed at three locations (anterior, lateral, posterior) on ribs one through ten bilaterally. Four incremental levels of quasistatic chest deflection were applied, up to a nominal maximum level of approximately 50% of the initial chest depth, and full-thoracic CT scans were obtained at each level of deflection. Four post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) were imaged: two with the concentrated loading condition and two with the distributed condition. The three-dimensional marker displacements were normalized to a 50th percentile male and used to develop rib deformation trend lines as a function of chest deflection level and anterior loading condition.