The relationship between head and neck anthropometry and kinematic response during impact acceleration

Research on the effects of impact acceleration on the body, primarily the head and neck, has been conducted at the U.S. Naval Biodynamics Laboratory for nearly two decades. Over 150 Navy enlisted men have been subjected to impact acceleration on a sled propelled by a nitrogen-powered horizontal accelerator. Their head and neck kinematic responses during the experimental impact were measured and stored in automated data bases. Similarly, anthropometric measurements were recorded for these subjects. To investigate the relation between head and neck anthropometry and response to impact acceleration, tests involving 15 subjects were selected. A strong relation was found between head and neck anthropometry and linear acceleration of the head along the Z axis. Lesser correlations were determined between the anthropometric measurements and linear acceleration along the X axis and angular acceleration about the Y axis. These findings are potentially applicable to areas such as aircrew selection, physical training and protective equipment development.