Normalizing and scaling of data to derive human response corridors from impact tests

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics and Injury Biomechanics
• Human Subject Research in Impact Dynamics

Background:

• Biological variability necessitates normalization and scaling of Post-Mortem Human Subject (PMHS) impact data.
• Standardized responses are crucial for assessing anthropomorphic test device (ATD) biofidelity and designing safety systems.
• Existing methods for normalization and scaling have been applied for over four decades in crashworthiness research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey and critically evaluate diverse approaches for normalizing and scaling PMHS impact responses.
• To analyze methods used to derive biofidelity corridors for ATDs in impact environments.
• To provide insights into the efficacy of different normalization and scaling techniques.

Main Methods:

• Review of established normalization and scaling methodologies, including equal-stress/equal-velocity and impulse-momentum.
• Discussion of variations and alternative approaches for deriving human impact corridors.
• Analysis of methods for generating temporal mean and standard deviation corridors from time-varying responses.

Main Results:

• Identification of pros and cons associated with various normalization and scaling techniques.
• Examples from recent impact tests illustrate the application and potential efficacy of different approaches.
• The study highlights the importance of considering experimental design parameters in human impact testing.

Conclusions:

• No single method is universally superior; the choice depends on specific research objectives and data.
• Continued refinement of normalization and scaling techniques is needed for accurate ATD biofidelity assessment.
• Recommendations are provided for future biomechanical studies involving human impact tests.