Search Results

Biomechanical data on the response of the face to localized and distributed loads are analyzed to provide performance goals for a biomechanically realistic face. Previously proposed facial injury assessment techniques and dummy modifications are reviewed with emphasis on their biomechanical realism. A modification to the Hybrid III dummy, called the GM Hybrid III Deformable Face, is described. The modification produces biomechanically realistic frontal impact response for both localized and distributed facial loads and provides for contact force determination using conventional Hybrid III instrumentation. The modification retains the anthropometric and inertial properties and the forehead impact response of the standard Hybrid III head.

This study investigates occupant containment characteristics of tempered and laminated automotive moveable side glass in rollover collisions. FMVSS 216 test protocols were used to induce roof damage or sheet metal damage around the window opening in Lincoln Navigators equipped with tempered and laminated side glass. Dummy-drop tests were then performed to investigate relative containment. The results demonstrate that, for rollovers in which the window structure is compromised, tempered side glass and laminated side glass perform comparably relative to occupant containment. Also discussed are the general strength characteristics of different types of glass construction, the availability of laminated side glass in recent model U.S. vehicles, and anecdotal data supporting the conclusions of testing.

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.

This paper presents the rationale behind the development of a shoulder belt load cell suitable for application in racings cars. The design of the load cell and the operational parameters necessary for a research-quality measurement device for biomechanics research in racing car crashes and the performance of the device in sled tests are described.

It is well known that the ability of the human body to withstand trauma is a function of its inherent strength, i.e., the strength of the bones and soft tissues. Yet, the properties of the bones and tissues change as a function of the individual's age. In this paper age effects on thoracic injury tolerances are studied by analyzing the mechanical properties of human bones and soft tissues and by examining experimental results found in the literature of thoracic impact tests to human cadavers. This work suggests that the adult age range can be divided into three age groups. Using piece-wise linear regression analyses, it has been determined that the reduction in injury tolerance from the “young” age group to the “elderly” group is approximately 20% under blunt frontal impact loading conditions and is as much as 70% under belt loading conditions.

The purpose of this literature review was to determine areas of automotive injury information that may add to knowledge of injury type, frequency, severity, and cause. This paper is a review of the literature concentrating on the period between 1965 and present. Literature on car, van, or 1ight truck occupants has been reviewed for injury frequencies, types, and locations. Current experimental biomechanical articles are also included. A search was made for descriptions of injury frequency, restraint effectiveness, and the causes of specific injuries. Medical and engineering journals, texts, and books were reviewed. For convenience, this report is divided into sections by body region with an overview introduction on the anatomy of the specific region.

This report presents the results of a three-year study designed to collect analyze, and reduce selected anthropometric data on 4027 infants and children representative of the current U.S. population ranging in age from newborn to 12 years of age. Since the major purpose was to provide basic measurement data most useful and critical to consumer product design, regulatory consideration, or other direct applications, 12 of the 41 measurements taken were applied measurements which have not been previously available. As an example of the direct application to product design, measurement of buttock depth on 3-to 6-month-old infants provided an objective basis for establishment of crib interslat distances. A substantial portion of the study involved the design, fabrication, development, and testing of a new generation of anthropometric measuring devices which transmit measurement signals to a portable mini-computer data acquisition system or to a set of readout meters.

This study is an extension of previous work on driver air bag deployment loads which used the mid-size male Hybrid Ill dummy. Both small female and mid-size male Hybrid Ill dummies were tested with a range of near-positions relative to the air bag module. These alignments ranged from the head centered on the module to the chest centered on the module and with various separations and lateral shifts from the module. For both sized dummies the severity of the loading from the air bag depended on alignment and separation of the dummy with respect to the air bag module. No single alignment provided high responses for all body regions, indicating that one test at a typical alignment cannot simultaneously determine the potential for injury risk for the head, neck, and torso. Based on comparisons with their respective injury assessment reference values, the risk of chest injury appeared similar for both sized dummies.

Aircraft used for business (executive corporate transportation or personal business) and utility purposes now represent about one-third of the total United States aircraft inventory. Data from accident investigation of business aircraft involved in survivable accidents indicate serious injuries and fatality to the occupants occur most frequently as a result of the unprotected head and neck or chest flailing in contact with aircraft controls, instrument panel, or structure. Improvement of current aircraft to provide increased occupant safety and survival during crash impacts is both necessary and feasible. Design considerations include folding seat back locks to prevent collapse, increased seat tie-down to structure, instrument panels and glare shields designed to absorb energy through structural design and padding, stronger seat structure, lateral protection, design and packaging of knobs and projections to minimize injury in contact, and installation of upper torso restraint.

This paper describes the results of an ongoing project in the GM Motorsports Safety Technology Research Program to investigate Indianapolis-type (Indy car) race car crashes using an on-board impact recorder as the primary data collection tool. The paper discusses the development of specifications for the impact-recording device, the selection of the specific recorder and its implementation on a routine basis in Indy car racing. The results from incidents that produced significant data (crashes with peak decelerations above 20 G) during the racing seasons from 1993 through the first half of 1998 are summarized. The focus on Indy car crashes has proven to provide an almost laboratory-like setting due to the similarity of the cars and to the relative simplicity of the crashes (predominantly planar crashes involving single car impacts against well-defined impact surfaces).

This paper presents an analysis of 67 neck injuries incurred in diving and sliding accidents in swimming pools. The accidents were investigated to establish the appropriate medical and mechanical factors involved. A mathematical model was developed to allow the prediction of the trajectory and velocity of the subjects prior to their injury. Nine of the accidents were selected for real life simulation. The simulation included the selection of test subjects of similar physical build to the accident victims who then performed the maneuvers leading to the injury, but in deeper water. High speed movies (200 frames per second) were taken, above and below the water, to measure the motion. A frame by frame analysis provided data to determine the trajectory and velocity profiles of the test subject. The maneuvers studied included diving from the pool edge, diving from various board types and sliding down various sliding board configurations.

Head injury is a serious threat to lives of people working around farm machinery. The consequence of head injuries are costly, paralytic, and often fatal. Clinical and biomechanical data on head injuries are reviewed and their application in the analysis of head injury risk associated with farm tractor discussed. A significant proportion of tractor-related injuries and deaths to adults, as well as children, is due directly or indirectly to head injury. An improved injury reporting program and biomechanical studies of human response to tractor rollover, runover, and falls, are needed to understand mechanisms of the associated head injury.

In a crash, impact against the steering assembly can be a major cause of serious and fatal injury to drivers. But the interrelationship between injury protection and factors of surface area, configuration, padding, relative position of the spokes, and number and stiffness of spokes and rim is not clear. This paper reports a series of high-G sled tests conducted with anesthetized animal subjects in 30 mph impacts at 30 G peaks. A total of eight tests were conducted, five utilizing pig subjects, one a female chimpanzee, one an anthropomorphic dummy, and one test with no subject. Instrumentation included closed circuit TV, a tri-axial load cell mounted between the steering wheel and column, seat belt load measurement, six Photo-Sonics 1000 fps motion picture cameras, and poloroid photography. Medical monitoring pre, during and post-impact was followed by gross and microscopic tissue examination.

The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of driver kinematics, injury mechanisms and spinal loads causing thoracolumbar spinal fractures in Indianapolis-type racing car drivers. Crash reports from 1996 to 2006, showed a total of forty spine fracture incidents with the thoracolumbar region being the most frequently injured (n=15). Seven of the thoracolumbar fracture cases occurred in the frontal direction and were a higher injury severity as compared to rear impact cases. The present study focuses on thoracolumbar spine fractures in Indianapolis-type racing car drivers during frontal impacts and was performed using driver medical records, crash reports, video, still photographic images, chassis accelerations from on-board data recorders and the analysis tool MADYMO to simulate crashes. A 50th percentile, male, Hybrid III dummy model was used to represent the driver.

Recent developments in seat design for racecar drivers have proven to be very effective in minimizing injuries in side impacts. The features of the seats that present significant improvements over previous concepts are based on biomechanical principles that were learned from crash recorder based investigations of Indy car crashes. Insights gained from these studies led to an understanding of critical factors that provide effective support and protection of the driver in a high-severity side impact crash. Transferring these concepts from single seat chassis cars to stock car and sports car seats has led to significant improvements in driver side impact protection. The paper will describe these principles, present sled test performance data showing the benefits of proper seat design and will give examples of current commercially available seat designs for stock car and sports car racing.

This paper discusses the development of adequate criteria and evaluation methods for seat belt restraint design. These criteria should include the effect of seat belts in abdominal injury as well as head injury. It is concluded that belt load limiters and energy-absorbing devices should limit head-to-vehicle contact, ensure that the lap belt maintains proper contact with the bony pelvic girdle, and limit the belt loads. Studies are made of pulse shape and belt fabrics. Currently available mathematical models are used for the studies included in the paper.

The objective of this work was to evaluate a new tool for assessing brain injury. Many race car drivers have suffered concussion and other brain injuries and are in need of ways of evaluating better head protective systems and equipment. Current assessment guidelines such as HIC may not be adequate for assessing all scenarios. Finite element models of the brain have the potential to provide much better injury prediction for any scenario. At a previous Motorsports conference, results of a MADYMO model of a racing car and driver driven by 3-D accelerations recorded in actual crashes were presented. Model results from nine cases, some with concussion and some not, yielded head accelerations that were used to drive the Wayne State University Head Injury Model (WSUHIM). This model consists of over 310,000 elements and is capable of simulating direct and indirect impacts. It has been extensively validated using published cadaveric test data.

The importance of crashworthiness and the role of restraint systems in occupant impact protection in U.S. civil aircraft design is being increasingly recognized. Current estimates of the number of fatalities which could be prevented annually in survivable accidents range from 33 to 94%. This study reviews the development of existing Federal Aviation Administration restraint system standards from the first requirement for safety belts in the Air Commerce Regulations of 1926 to present 14 CFR 1.1. The FAA and industry standards are critically evaluated for Parts 23 (small airplanes), 25 (air transports), 27 (rotorcraft), and 29 (transport category rotorcraft). State-of-the-art developments, including an overview of previous accident experience, results of experimental studies, comparison with other standards, and primary data sources are provided.

Biomechanical analysis of Indy car crashes using on-board impact recorders (Melvin et al. 1998, Melvin et al. 2001) indicates that Indy car driver protection in high-energy crashes can be achieved in frontal, side, and rear crashes with severities in the range of 100 to 135 G peak deceleration and velocity changes in the range of 50 to 70 mph. These crashes were predominantly single-car impacts with the rigid concrete walls of oval tracks. This impressive level of protection was found to be due to the unique combination of a very supportive and tight-fitting cockpit-seating package, a six-point belt restraint system, and effective head padding with an extremely strong chassis that defines the seat and cockpit of a modern Indy car. In 2000 and 2001, a series of fatal crashes in stock car racing created great concern for improving the crash protection for drivers in those racecars.

The crash recorder is an important data gathering device in motorsports. Since the introduction of crash recording in Indy Cars in 1993, the data gathered has been critical in developing improvements in race car structures and driver protection systems. This report will examine which sanctioning bodies use recorders, what type of data is gathered, and how that data is used to improve driver's safety in racing.