Biomechanical analysis of child restraint system - biomed 2009

The purpose of the study is to test the hypothesis that potential for the head injury to child occupants is reduced with energy absorbing foam in a rear facing restraint system. The traffic safety of the pediatric population is improved with the child restraint system. However, the child restraint is effective only if advanced protective features are incorporated. One of the protective features is the energy absorbing padding on the side wings of the child seat wherein the child would interact during the crash. A hybrid computer model of the child restraint system was developed using the commercially available MADYMO and LS-DYNA software. A rear facing child seat in the rear compartment of the vehicle was simulated. The 9 months old anthropometric dummy was modeled. The dummy was restrained in the child seat and the child seat was restrained using the lap and shoulder harness. Two computer models with and without the padding on the side wing were simulated. The input included the acceleration at the center of gravity of the vehicle and the door intrusion into the vehicular interior and the child restraint system. Results indicate that the lack of padding allowed the child's head to interact with the side wing in a concentrated manner while the padding allowed distributed contact to the head area. The padding also retained the head within the confines of the child seat with no exposure to outside environment. The head injury parameters (Head Injury Criteria and Angular Acceleration) were reduced two to three times due to padding on the extended side wing. The present study is an additional step towards a better understanding of the injury biomechanics of pediatric population involved in motor vehicle crashes.