Search Results

Frontal sled tests of the Part 572, APR, and Hybrid III dummies were conducted in a three-point restraint system at 50 km/hr velocity change. The tests were conducted to evaluate the dummy responses in a tightly controlled systems environment, and to compare the dummy responses to previously established cadaver responses from the same environment. The Hybrid III dummy measurement repeatability was found to be better than either the Part 572 or APR dummies, although the thoracic acceleration responses from all three are shown to be quite similar to cadavers. Correlation of the dummy measurements are made to a limited amount of both the cadaver data and accident data from the National Crash Severity Study.

Lateral impacts have been shown to produce a large portion of both serious and fatal injuries within the total automotive crash problem. These injuries are produced as a result of the rapid changes in velocity that an automobile occupant's body experiences during a crash. In an effort to understand the mechanisms of these injuries, an experimental program using human surrogates (cadavers) was initiated. Initial impact velocity and compliance of the lateral impacting surface were the primary test features that were controlled, while age of the test specimen was varied to assess its influence on the injury outcome. Instrumentation consisted of 24 accelerometer channels on the subjects along with contact forces measured on the wall both at the thoracic and pelvic level. The individual responses and resulting injuries sustained by 11 new subjects tested at the University of Heidelberg are presented in detail.