- Assessment of the skull fracture prediction capability of a finite element head model
Authors: Clément Pozzi, Marc Gardegaront, Lucille Allegre, Philippe Beillas Abstract The development of drones has raised questions about their safety in case of high-speed impacts with the head. This has been recently studied with dummies, postmortem human surrogates and numerical models but questions are still open regarding the transfer of skull fracture tolerance and procedures from road safety to drone impacts. This study aimed to assess the performance of an…
- Traumatic Head and Brain Injuries in Helmeted Motorcycle Crashes: Developing and Testing Effective Helmets
Author: John Lloyd Abstract This study presents an analysis of 328 motorcycle helmet impact tests, including standard certified full-face, open-face, and half-helmets, as well as novelty (non-certified) helmet designs. Several advanced motorcycle helmet designs that incorporate technologies intended to mitigate the risk of rotational brain injuries (rTBI) were included in this study. Results were compared to the unprotected condition using an instrumented 50th percentile Hybrid III head form and neck…
- Thoracic Responses of Rear-Seated Midsized Male Surrogates during Frontal Sled Tests
Authors: Devon L. Albert, Samuel T. Bianco, Allison J. Guettler, David M. Boyle, Andrew R. Kemper, Warren N. Hardy Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the thoracic responses of the 50th-percenitle male Hybrid III, THOR, and post mortem human surrogate (PMHS) in the rear seat during frontal sled tests using conventional and advanced restraints in multiple vehicle environments. Twenty-one sled tests were conducted using the Hybrid III…
- Investigation of Injury Risk Functions of THOR-AV 50th Percentile Male Dummy
Author: Z. Jerry Wang Abstract Injury risk functions (IRF) for the THOR-AV 50th percentile male dummy were investigated in this research. The investigation focused on the areas where design changes were made. The dummy test data used in the injury risk function development are a combination of physical tests and finite element (FE) model simulations. For some postmortem human subject test cases where physical dummy tests were not available, the…
- Isolated Rib Response and Fracture Prediction for Young Mid-Size Male, Enabled by Population Specific Material Models and Geometry
Authors: Miguel Corrales, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo; Sven Holcombe, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan; Amanda Agnew, Yun-Seok Kang, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University; Duane Cronin, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo Abstract Thorax injury remains a primary contributor to mortality in car crash scenarios. Although human body models can be used to investigate thorax response to impact, isolated…
- Comparison of Bending Properties in Paired Human Ribs with and without Costal Cartilage
Authors: Rose Schaffer, Yun-Seok Kang, Angelo Marcallini, Jr., Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University; Bengt Pipkorn, Autoliv Research, Sweden; John Bolte IV, Amanda Agnew, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University Abstract Thoracic injuries, most frequently rib fractures, commonly occur in motor vehicle crashes. With an increased reliance on human body models (HBMs) for injury prediction in various crash scenarios, all thoracic tissues and structures require more…
- Effect of A-Pillar Blind Spots on a Driver’s Pedestrian Visibility during Vehicle Turns at an Intersection
Authors: Yasuhiro Matsui, National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory, Japan; Shoko Oikawa, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan Abstract This study aims to elucidate the impact of A-pillar blind spots on drivers’ visibility of pedestrians during left and right turns at an intersection. An experiment was conducted using a sedan and a truck, with a professional test driver participating. The driver was instructed to maintain sole focus on a designated pedestrian model…
- Effects of Head Restraint (HR) Interference on Child Restraint System (CRS) Performance in Frontal and Far-Side Impacts
Authors: Julie Mansfield, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University Abstract Forward-facing child restraint systems (FF CRS) and high-back boosters often contact the vehicle seat head restraint (HR) when installed, creating a gap between the back surface of the CRS and the vehicle seat. The effects of HR interference on dynamic CRS performance are not well documented. The objective of this study is to quantify the effects of HR…
- Evaluation of Child Anthropometries in Relation to Modern Vehicle Seat and Booster Dimensions
Authors: Gretchen Baker, Rosalie Connell, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University; Carrie Rhodes, Passenger Safety Program, Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Julie Mansfield, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University Abstract This study compared modern vehicle and booster geometries with relevant child anthropometries. Vehicle geometries (seat length, seat pan height, shoulder belt outlet height, and roof height) were obtained for 275 center and outboard rear seating positions of US…
- Integration of Muscle Pre-tension and Activation to Evaluate Neck Muscle Strain Injury Risk during Simulated Rear Impacts Using a Finite Element Neck Model
Authors: Matheus A. Correia, Stewart D. McLachlin, Duane S. Cronin, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo Abstract Prevention of rear-impact neck injuries remains challenging for safety designers due to a lack of understanding of the tissue-level response and injury risk. Soft tissue injuries have been inferred from clinical, cadaveric, and numerical studies; however, there is a paucity of data for neck muscle injury, commonly reported as muscle…
- Development of A Generic Nearside Impact Test Fixture for Evaluating In-Vehicle Crashworthiness of Wheelchairs
Authors: Kyle Boyle, Jingwen Hu, Miriam Manary, Nichole R. Orton, Kathleen D. Klinich, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Abstract Current voluntary standards for wheelchair crashworthiness only test under frontal and rear impact conditions. To improve safety for occupants seated in wheelchairs under side impact, we developed a sled test procedure simulating nearside impact loading using a fixed staggered loading wall. Publicly available side impact crash data from vehicles that…
- Micromechanics of axonal injury in tension and compression
Authors: Chaokai Zhang, Songbai Ji Abstract This study investigates the deformation and failure mechanisms of axonal components under rapid tension and compression using a recently developed microscale male axonal injury model. A white matter fiber strain profile from a real-world head impact simulation was scaled to apply tension and compression of up to 40% peak strain magnitude at a 5% increment as input. Axonal injury model simulations were successful without…
- A study of submarining occurrence factors in reclined sitting posture
Authors: Garam Jeong, Dohyung Kim, Kyungwon Seo and Seokhoon Ko Abstract A series of crash simulations and SLED tests were performed to investigate the factors causing the submarine phenomenon. A parametric study was conducted on various factors such as ATD type, seat recline angle, and restraint device, and the results were analyzed. In the study, the submarine phenomenon was shown to be highly affected by the type of ATD and…
- Pelvis/Sacrum Fracture Tolerance for Males and Females under High-Rate Loading
Authors: David M. Boyle, Warren N. Hardy, Kerry A. Danelson Abstract Pelvis fracture tolerance was determined for three groups: small females (5F), large females (75F), and midsized males (50M) under highly controlled, repeatable, and high-rate conditions that mimic an underbody blast event experienced by a mounted soldier. Thirteen fresh-frozen post-mortem human surrogates (PMHS) pelvis specimens were tested using a cam-driven impact device. High-speed x-ray video (2,000 fps) was used to…
- An Exploration of Military Armored Vehicle Blast Event Timing for the Inclusion of Active and Passive Safety Systems
Authors: Tania Holmes, Paul Phillips, Kyle Cooper, Hormoz Marzbani Abstract Recent conflicts have led defence forces around the world to increase their vehicle protection to mitigate injury. However, the adoption and adaption of automotive safety technology to enhance survivability of personnel in armored military vehicles has been limited. In this study, a light armored military vehicle was blast tested and the vehicle response investigated to identify timeframes where automotive active…
- Comparison of Hybrid III, THOR, and PMHS Forward Excursions in the Rear Seat during Frontal Sled Tests
Authors: Devon L. Albert, Samuel T. Bianco, Allison J. Guettler, David M. Boyle, Andrew R. Kemper, Warren N. Hardy Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the forward excursions of the Hybrid III and THOR 50th-percentile male ATDs to PMHS in the rear seat when advanced or conventional restraints are equipped. A total of 16 frontal sled tests were performed with either PMHS or ATDs seated in the…
- Developing Finite Element Head Models using Advanced Blocking Techniques: Density-Changeable High-Quality All-Hexahedral Meshes and Fit for Individual Brain Component Morphing
Authors: Sakib Ul Islam, Kewei Bian, and Haojie Mao Abstract Detailed all-hexahedral solid head models were developed using an advanced blocking technique. A strategic O- grid core was implemented facilitating node-to-node connectivity and seamless mesh distribution across all scalp-skull-brain structures. Two models with 549,054 and 231,586 hexahedral elements representing lower- and higher-resolution mesh densities were tested. Additional models explored the effects of mesh density, pattern, as well as features such…
- Development of Pelvis Injury Risk Curves for Iliac Bone Fracture Due to Lap Belt Loading in Female PMHS Sled Tests
Authors: Karthik Somasundaram, Narayan Yoganandan, Klaus Driesslein, Frank A. Pintar, Rachel Richardson, Dan Parent Abstract This study aimed to develop injury tolerance metrics for iliac bone fractures resulting from lap belt loading in frontal impact scenarios. We conducted 27 whole-body postmortem human subject (PMHS) sled tests with female specimens under various boundary conditions, including two crash pulses (32 kph and 50 kph), two seatback angles (22° and 45°), and three…
- Evaluating Pedestrian Injury Risk in SUV Impacts Using a Validated Human Body and Vehicle Model
Authors: Ying Tao, Liying Zhang, Wayne State University Abstract Pedestrian fatalities have surged recently, with SUVs disproportionately causing severe injuries than sedans. This study aimed to enhance the biofidelity of the THUMS AM50 pedestrian model by validating it against recent cadaver-SUV impact tests and to explore how body orientation and gait influence injury outcomes. The THUMS model was improved to better match PMHS kinematics, particularly in the torso. Injury thresholds…
- Role of Pedestrian Waist and Hip Height Relative to the Vehicle Front End in Kinematics and Torso Injuries
Authors: Becky Mueller, Samuel Monfort, Jessica Jermakian, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Abstract This study examined 127 U.S. pedestrian crashes involving model year 2009–2022 cars, SUVs, and pickups to explore how the height of the vehicle front end relative to the pedestrian’s hip and waist height affected pedestrian kinematics and torso injuries. Vehicle hood leading edge (HLE) height was compared with estimates of pedestrian hip and waist heights. Vehicles with…
- Anthropometric Influences on Changes in Belt-Positioning Booster Occupant Lower Extremity Postures
Authors: Rosalie Connell, Gretchen Baker, Julie Mansfield, Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University Abstract Deviation from ideal postures within belt-positioning booster seats (BPB) can lead to increased risks of injury during motor vehicle collisions. Although previous work has observed and measured out-of-position postures, there is a limited understanding of the influence of occupants’ age and anthropometry on such changes in posture. A laboratory study was conducted to observe…
- Preliminary Evaluation of OpenSim as a Tool for Simulating Occupant Kinematics in Low-Speed Rear-End Collisions
Authors: Brandon Fugger, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Dakota; Jesse Rhoades, Department of Education, Health & Behavior, University of North Dakota Abstract This study explored the feasibility of using OpenSim’s forward dynamics tool to model occupant kinematics in low-speed rear-end collisions. The crash pulse characteristics and comparison kinematic data were obtained from an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) dynamic rear seat test. Given the exploratory nature of…
- Far-Side Struck Occupant Injury Patterns and Severities with Gender and Size
Authors: Jay Zhao, Gabriela Mata, Mutaz Shkoukani, Joyson Safety Systems Abstract This study was to better understand injury patterns and severities of far-side occupants of small size females and mid/large size males from vehicle crashes. 405 AIS 2+ injury incidents of 80 far-side struck occupants from 2004-current CIREN database were categorized into two groups of small size females and mid/large size males. 31 most often observed or most critical AIS…