A comparison between a child-size PMHS and the Hybrid III 6 YO in a sled frontal impact

As pediatric PMHS data are extremely limited, evidence of kinematic differences between pediatric ATDs and live humans comes from comparison of laboratory data to field crash data. Despite the existence of regulations intended to prevent head injuries, these remain the most common serious injuries sustained by children in crashes. In this study, nine frontal sled tests using a Hybrid III 6YO and three tests performed with a child-size adult PMHS were compared, with focus on the kinematic responses (especially of the head) and the seatbelt forces generated during the impact. Two different restraint systems (a pretensioning, force-limiting seatbelt, and a non pretensioning force-limiting standard belt) and two different impact speeds (29 km/h and 48 km/h) were compared. Data from the PMHS were scaled using the erect sitting height of a 50th percentile 6YO and both scaled and unscaled data are presented. The ATD predicted correctly the peak values of the scaled displacements of the PMHS, but differences in relevant parameters such as torso angle and resultant acceleration at different locations were found between the dummy and the PMHS. The ATD's stiffer thoracic spine is hypothesized as a major cause of these differences.