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This paper describes the development of a pedestrian head impact test procedure which can be applied to central hood regions of motor vehicles. Measurement details are given for locating fourteen impact points in areas where pedestrian head impacts occur and where good performance has been demonstrated on some, but not all, production vehicles. A uniaxial head impactor is used, and HIC values are calculated to evaluate performance. The procedure was applied to a representative set of nine passenger cars and three light trucks. Percentages of central hood areas over which HIC did not exceed 1000 were determined. Some vehicles were found to provide good pedestrian head protection. Underhood clearances were measured on a larger set of 36 vehicles (cars, light trucks, and vans) which represents the U.S. vehicle fleet.

A technique has been developed to study the effects of the vehicle interior on the performance of child safety seats. Child safety seat sled tests are used to define the kinematics of the seat and child in a crash situation. Computer animation of this motion is superimposed on the motion of the actual vehicle crash tests giving an estimation of the kinematics of the child and child seat in a real crash situation. The significance of the vehicle interior and the interference of the vehicle interior with the child's kinematics is presented within the computer animation. The analysis is conducted using a single child restraint device in multiple seating conditions within a single vehicle.

This paper presents an analysis of the results of a series of crash tests conducted by the NHTSA to identify structural parameters contributing to vehicle aggressiveness in frontal collisions between large and small cars. Effects of front structure stiffness, engine mass and engine position were investigated. In addition, an analytical study of car-to-car and car-to-barrier crashes is reported. A lumped parameter car model was used with multiple linear regression analysis to determine the significance of specific vehicle parameters on aggressiveness, and the capabilities of different types of barriers to “measure” that aggressiveness.

Restraint Survival Distance (RSD), a quantity used for determining potential occupant survival in a motor vehicle collision, is derived. The RSD depends upon the vehicle crash response, available occupant stroking distance (taking compartment intrusion into account) and assumptions regarding ideal restraint system performance. RSD calculations were performed for 17 passenger cars which were subjected to 30 mph barrier crash tests. The RSD values were compared with measured dummy responses. Similarities and differences between actual crashsurvivability levels achieved with existing restraint systems and potential crashsurvivability levels achievable with ideal restraint system characteristics were explored.

This paper presents the initial results of a crash test program designed to evaluate the ability of three different barriers to measure vehicle aggressiveness. The barriers included in the study are the fixed rigid (FRB), load cell fixed (LCFB) and moving deformable (MDB). Previous crash tests and analytical studies conducted to determine causes of aggressiveness and ways of measuring aggressiveness are reviewed. In this paper, full frontal car-to-car and FRB crash test results of an aggressive and a non-aggressive car are presented and compared.

This paper reports the results of one of the tasks addressed in a coordinated NHTSA/MVMA side impact test procedure development program: the identification of specific tests which should be able to discriminate among vehicle designs having a significant effect on side impact injuries. Component and full vehicle crash tests addressing impacts between specific occupant body parts and vehicle regions are recommended for development. Advantages and disadvantages of component vs. full vehicle tests are discussed and areas needing further research to support side impact test development are recommended.

Three groups of crash tests were analyzed to determine how well the standard fixed rigid barrier measures potential crash survivability in small cars when impacted full frontally by larger cars. In addition to experimental results, simple analytical methods were used to determine and compare the level of occupant protection in the small cars. The fixed rigid barrier appears to be an accurate crashworthiness-measuring device for small cars in high speed full frontal car/car collisions, if test velocities are selected on the basis of equivalent energy between car/barrier and car/car collisions as opposed to equivalent momentum.

Experimental reconstructions of pedestrian accidents involving head injury sustained primarily from hood impact were conducted to determine the relationship between HIC and injury severity. The purpose was to establish the capability of predicting pedestrian head injury severity in simple laboratory tests. The reconstruction test results were analyzed by a median ranking technique to provide a family of curves showing probability of injury of AIS 3, 4, and 5 severities as a function of HIC. This analysis method was used by Prasad and Mertz [1]1 to develop a head injury risk curve from cadaver head impact test data. Results of the two analyses were compared to determine the degree of agreement between the HIC/injury-risk relationship derived from controlled experiments with cadavers and that derived from uncontrolled accidents involving live people. The reconstruction test results also were used to derive a relationship between head injury risk (HIC) and vehicle impact speed.