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Six European laboratories have evaluated the biomechanical response of the new advanced frontal impact dummy THOR-alpha with respect to the European impact response requirements. The results indicated that for many of the body regions (e.g., shoulder, spine, thorax, femur/knee) the THOR-alpha response was close to the human response. In addition, the durability, repeatability and sensitivity for some dummy regions have been evaluated. Based on the tests performed, it was found that the THOR-alpha is not durable enough. The lack in robustness of the THOR-alpha caused a problem in completing the full test program and in evaluating the repeatability of the dummy. The results have demonstrated that the assessment of frontal impact protection can be greatly improved with a more advanced frontal impact dummy. Regarding biofidelity and injury assessment capabilities, the THOR-alpha is a good candidate however it needs to be brought up to standard in other areas.

Researchers worldwide try to define a unique test procedure for the assessment of whiplash protection of seats and restraint systems in low speed rear-end impact. Apart from valid injury criteria and uniform crash conditions, there is no clear answer to the question, which dummy to use. There are two impact dummies currently available, which have been designed for rear-end impact testing: BioRID and RID2. Both dummies have been evaluated in several test programs, however, both dummies have never been compared with each other in the test conditions, which form the basis of their design. BioRID was based on and validated against volunteer tests performed by Davidsson and Ono, while RID2 was designed with and validated against PMHS tests done by Bertholon and compared to volunteer tests reported by Van den Kroonenberg. This paper compares the responses of both rear impact dummies and the Hybrid III for the test conditions mentioned above.

Low severity neck injuries due to vehicle accidents are a serious problem in our society. In 1997 the European Whiplash project started with the aim to develop passive safety methodologies to reduce the frequency of neck injuries in rear-end impacts. This project has resulted, among others, in a rear impact crash dummy, the so-called RID2. The objective of this paper is present the design of this dummy and to present its performance in comparison with human volunteer and post mortem human subject (PMHS) tests. Also a comparison is made with the Hybrid III dummy in similar test conditions. In the comparison with human volunteers in a real car seat, both the RID2 and the Hybrid III showed realistic kinematics. Lower neck rotation as well as the typical S-shape in the neck were found in the RID2, but not in the Hybrid III dummy. Ramping up was not found in the Hybrid III, while the RID2 did show limited ramping up.

The WorldSID project is a global effort to design a new generation side impact crash test dummy under the direction of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The first WorldSID crash dummy will represent a world-harmonized mid-size adult male. This paper discusses the research and rationale undertaken to define the anthropometry of a world standard midsize male in the typical automotive seated posture. Various anthropometry databases are compared region by region and in terms of the key dimensions needed for crash dummy design. The Anthropometry for Motor Vehicle Occupants (AMVO) dataset, as established by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), is selected as the basis for the WorldSID mid-size male, updated to include revisions to the pelvis bone location. The proposed mass of the dummy is 77.3kg with full arms. The rationale for the selected mass is discussed. The joint location and surface landmark database is appended to this paper.

The Eurosid dummy designed by several European research laboratories was used and evaluated in intensive test programs conducted in North America, in Japan, and in Europe. Analysis of evaluation reports that Eurosid is the most biofidelic dummy, but its response to impact has discripancies by comparison to ISO requirements for side impact dummies. This paper includes the analysis of Eurosid pelvis response to impacts, considers the influence of some possible design modifications to improve its response, and select those which are valuable. DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS, the EUROSID dummy was used by many research laboratories and test groups. The results of tests using the EUROSID dummy show that it may be improved to have a response closer to the biofidelity requirements, especially for the thorax and the pelvis.

This paper sets out the first results of tests carried out at the National Research Institute on Transportation and Safety in France on lateral barriers with small cars. The vehicle used is a 205 Peugeot. The traffic rails are the standard mettalic barrier and the rigid concrete barrier. We have found some differences in behavior as compared to european medium range vehicles with which the tests were conducted at this date. For the rigid barrier the vehicles very stiff behavior at impact leads to stability losses at important exit speeds. For the mettalic barriers we notice a barrier stiffer behavior due to vehicle mass differences. On the other hand we have not seen a major increase in traffic rail post collision effects.

EUROSID is the side impact dummy that has been designed and has now been almost completely developed by a group of European research laboratories working together under the auspices of the European Experimental Vehicles Committee (EEVC). It represents a bringing together of components and ideas from the three experimental sided impact dummies sponsored by the EEC1 as part of their Biomechanics Programme. These were produced by APR (Peugeot-Renault), ONSER, and MIRA. This paper describes the evolution of the EUROSID dummy and discusses the advances in biofidelity, the responses of its various components to impact, and the types of measurements it can record.

Following the European Experimental Vehicles Committee's definitions, the mobile barrier frame was built by several partners and rigid polyurethane foam selected as the material for the front deformable face. A validation process consisted of different tests distributed among ONSER, BASt, and TRRL. ONSER, UTAC, and TRRL conducted impact tests on individual blocks, total tests against a dynamometric wall, and lateral impact tests against the Renault 14 as struck cars. The validation was completed by performing barrier-to-car tests at the BASt facility according to the proposed EEVC impact test procedure. The basis for comparison was given by car/car tests under the same conditions and with cars of the same type. These cars were the Golf and Daimler Benz (W 123 series). Results from this test series show the barrier face has a very useful crash simulation fidelity and repeatability

Experimental car-pedestrian collisions were performed with a modified PART 572 dummy and cadavers; they involved some reconstructions of real accidents. These collisions brought to light the differences between the kinematics and the impact responses when dummy and human subject are compared under identical and realistic test conditions to simulate a pedestrian struck sideways. These differences are mainly due to the overall relative stiffness of the PART 572 dummy when compared to cadavers. Same-type collisions were therefore carried out again with other dummies which were designed so as to simulate human response in lateral impact better; thus they were also assumed to display better kinematics as pedestrians. APROD and ONSER dummies were used; when compared to PART 572, their flexibility and deformation capabilities are greater, in particular as regards their thoraxes and shoulders.

The paper presents a comparison of kinematic responses between the MVMA-2D and the MAC-DAN pedestrian models and pedestrian cadaver kinematics observed in staged car/pedestrian impact tests. The paper also discusses the injuries experienced in the cadaver tests. Seven cadaver specimens in the standing posture were impacted at 25 mph by two different cars: one having a steel bumper and the other having a plastic bumper. The MVMA-2D and MAC-DAN mathematical pedestrian models were employed to simulate pedestrian impacts at 25 mph by a vehicle with a stylized geometry that is similar to the vehicles used in cadaver tests. Comparison of the simulations and the cadaver tests show that both models require further refinement to be able to more accurately simulate the kinematics of the lower legs during impacts with the vehicle bumper.

Several similar real world pedestrian accidents are described and a number of different methods of reconstructing these accidents are reported. The results of full scale experimental reconstructions of two of the accidents using both dummies and cadavers as the pedestrian surrogate are presented. The effects on the pedestrian’s head contact with the vehicle of variations in the initial impact conditions are examined by computer simulation using the MADYMO two dimensional mathematical model. The reproduction of the vehicle damage resulting from pedestrian head contact in four of the accidents using an impactor is then described. The relative merits of different methods of reproducing accidents are considered and a methodology for the reproduction of real world accidents outlined.

In this paper are analysed the results of ten accident reconstructions of 5 frontal actual car traffic accidents. These accidents involved 9 restrained occupants, and were reconstructed first with 50th percentile dummies and then with human cadavers. The results of these reconstructions are analysed in order to compare the injuries sustained in real accident first, with the injury criteria values recorded on dummies, and second with injuries and injury criteria values found on cadavers. The results show that an AIS 3 head injury in actual accident could correspond to a low value of HIC recorded on dummy, that there is a large scatter in chest injury criteria related to chest injuries, and that if we need a protection for almost all occupants in frontal impact, we have to choose chest injury criteria value lower than the proposed one.

By accurately reconstituting accidents whose parameters are well known from multidisciplinary accident investigation, it is possible to associate forces and accelerations values with injuries sustained by occupants involved in in-the-field accidents. In this study, two in-the-field accidents, their reconstruction conducted by using dummies as occupants, and their reconstruction then with human cadavers are analysed. These accidents reconstructions allow to associate and compare accident occupants injuries with acceleration forces, injuries criteria values measured on dummies, and, on the other hand, accelerations, injuries criteria values, injuries sustained by cadavers during the second accident reconstruction.

Studies of the effectiveness of safety belts were carried out under various directions of crashes, including dynamic sled investigations, destructive barrier tests, and impact tests. The studies showed that three-point belts were effective in frontal impact from 0-30 deg, but that their effectiveness diminished after 45 deg because the belt slips off the chest. The three-point belt did not provide protection for the knees. The studies also pointed out that the anchorage system of the belt is a very important factor in its effectiveness.