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This paper describes the development of an improved neck simulation that can be adapted to current anthropometric dummies. The primary goal of the neck design is to provide a reasonable simulation of human motion during impact while maintaining a simple, rugged structure. A synthesis of the current literature on cervical spine mechanics was incorporated with the results of x-ray studies of cervical spine mobility in human volunteers and with the analysis of head-neck motions in human volunteer sled tests to provide a background for the design and evaluation of neck models. Development tests on neck simulations were carried out using a small impact sled. Tests on the final prototype simulation were also performed with a dummy on a large impact sled. Both accelerometers and high-speed movies were used for performance evaluation.

A new crash test device has been developed, called “Repeatable Pete.” It is a repeatable, durable anthropomorphic dummy with humanlike dynamic performance. This paper describes the device and gives details of its design and performance during testing in automotive situations. The head, neck, and chest match the latest biomechanical information on the dynamic responses of unembalmed cadavers. The head c.g. accelerations adequately match the skull acceleration, so that head injury criteria based upon cadaver skull acceleration may be used.