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A Test Bed to Examine Helmet Fit and Retention and Biomechanical Measures of Head and Neck Injury in Simulated Impact
Published on: September 21, 2017
Upper neck forces and moments and cranial angular accelerations in lateral impact.
Narayan Yoganandan1, Frank A Pintar, Jiangyue Zhang
1Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA, yoga@mcw.edu
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|January 9, 2008
Summary
Lateral impact biomechanics research compared postmortem human subjects (PMHS) and dummies. While head-neck junction forces and cranial accelerations were similar, dummies showed lower peak responses, suggesting potential underestimation of injury risk in crashworthiness studies.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Injury Biomechanics
- Automotive Safety
Background:
- Previous lateral impact studies focused on chest/pelvis injuries, with limited data on head-neck junction biomechanics.
- Understanding head-neck junction responses in lateral impacts is crucial for accurate injury assessment and dummy calibration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine lateral impact-induced 3D forces, moments, and accelerations at the head-neck junction in postmortem human subjects (PMHS).
- To compare PMHS responses with those of an anthropomorphic test device (dummy) designed for lateral impact scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Postmortem human subjects (PMHS) and a lateral impact dummy were subjected to controlled sled-based lateral acceleration.
- Cranial linear and angular accelerations were recorded using multi-accelerometer packages.
- Head-neck junction forces and moments were measured, alongside input sled accelerations.
Main Results:
- Force and moment profiles at the head-neck junction, and cranial accelerations, showed similar trends between PMHS and the dummy.
- Peak forces, moments, and accelerations were consistently lower in the dummy compared to PMHS.
- Peak cranial angular accelerations in PMHS suggested potential for mild traumatic brain injury.
Conclusions:
- Current anthropomorphic test devices may underestimate head-neck junction loading and cranial accelerations during lateral impacts.
- Findings provide valuable data for establishing response corridors for side impact evaluations.
- Further research is needed to refine dummy performance for accurate crashworthiness and safety engineering assessments.
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