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Injury to the far side occupant has been demonstrated as a significant portion of the total trauma in side impacts. The objective of the study was to determine the response of PMHS in far side impact configurations, with and without generic countermeasures, and compare responses to the WorldSID and THOR dummies. A far side impact buck was designed for a sled test system that included a center console and three-point belt system. The buck allowed for additional options of generic countermeasures including shoulder or thorax plates or an inboard shoulder belt. The entire buck could be mounted on the sled in either a 90-degree (3-o'clock PDOF) or a 60-degree (2-o'clock PDOF) orientation. A total of 18 tests on six PMHS were done to characterize the far side impact environment at both low (11 km/h) and high (30 km/h) velocities. WorldSID and THOR-NT tests were completed in the same configurations to conduct matched-pair comparisons.

A common injury type among foot and ankle injury is the Lisfranc trauma, or injury to the forefoot. The Lisfranc injury indicates abnormal alignment of the tarsal-metatarsal joints with the loss of their normal spatial relationships. In 2003, Smith completed a laboratory study of this injury mechanism at Wayne State University [1, 2]. He found Lisfranc trauma was correlated with impact force to the forefoot. He proposed a probability of injury function that is based on the applied force to the forefoot. This study examined the instrumentation in the foot of the dummies in the USA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) frontal crashes. Nineteen different passenger vehicles representing four different vehicle classes were selected based mostly on a large presence in the USA vehicle fleet. Both NCAP and IIHS crashed these nineteen makes and models.

In recent years the AFFDL has actively attempted to develop improved techniques and criteria for providing aircraft with a capability for landing on substandard fields. A number of R&D programs have been conducted to this end. These programs have involved the participation of not only the AFFDL Landing Gear Test Facility, but also the Vicksburg Waterways Experiment Station, and various aircraft and landing gear contractors. The scope of approaches investigated includes expandable tires, extra wide tires, low pressure tires, track gear, air cushion gear, and basic flotation criteria. This paper summarizes the significant results of these programs. The paper briefly summarizes the presently available criteria for ground flotation on bare soil and indicates approaches for improving aircraft ground flotation characteristics. Also included are the results of AFFDL tests of conventional tires tested at high deflection, and of unconventional (expandable) tires which collapse for stowage.

The absence of data on the load deflection and energy absorption characteristics of vehicle interiors has been a factor which limits the accuracy of crash victim simulations. A recent test program conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed data on the interactions of dashboards and knee panels with chests and knees. This paper summarizes the test results for several vehicles and shows how these results are used in simulating vehicle crash tests. Comparisons between crash tests and computer reconstruction using the 3-Dimensional Crash Victim Simulator (CVS-3D) for a late model car are included. The simulation shows good agreement with test and illustrates the application of available static and dynamic test data to improve occupant simulations.

A significant number of documented ankle injuries incurred in automobile accidents indicate some form of lateral loading is present to either cause or influence injury. A high percentage of these cases occur in the absence of occupant compartment intrusion. To date, no specific ankle injury mechanism has been identified to explain these types of injuries. To investigate this problem, several resources were used including full-scale crash test data, finite element models, and case study field data. Results from car-to-car, offset frontal crash tests indicate a significant lateral acceleration (10-18 g) occurs at the same time as the peak in longitudinal acceleration. The combined loading condition results in a significant lateral force being applied to the foot-ankle region while the leg region is under maximum compression.

Injury to the far side occupant has been demonstrated as a significant portion of the total trauma in side impacts. The objective of the study was to determine the response of PMHS in far side impact configurations, with and without generic countermeasures, and compare responses to the WorldSID and THOR dummies. A far side impact buck was designed for a sled test system that included a center console and three-point belt system. The buck allowed for additional options of generic countermeasures including shoulder or thorax plates or an inboard shoulder belt. The entire buck could be mounted on the sled in either a 90-degree (3-o'clock PDOF) or a 60-degree (2-o'clock PDOF) orientation. A total of 18 tests on six PMHS were done to characterize the far side impact environment at both low (11 km/h) and high (30 km/h) velocities. WorldSID and THOR-NT tests were completed in the same configurations to conduct matched-pair comparisons.