Compression-based injury variables from chestbands in far-side impact THOR sled tests

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Occupant Safety

Background:

• Automotive safety research relies on accurate injury prediction.
• Understanding chest injury mechanisms in far-side impacts is crucial for vehicle design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine chest compression (Cmax) and injury variables (Vmax, VCmax) from chestband data.
• To evaluate different methods for calculating chest deflection metrics in lateral impacts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a THOR dummy in lateral and oblique far-side impact sled tests.
• Employed two chestbands to measure chest deflection and computed injury variables using three distinct methods (SD, ID, TD).

Main Results:

• The SD method yielded the highest injury variable magnitudes, while the ID method produced the lowest.
• The viscous criterion (VCmax) showed the greatest normalized difference among the injury variables.
• Predetermined internal sensor placement in the THOR dummy underpredicted chest deflection-related injury variables.

Conclusions:

• Internal sensor placement in the THOR dummy may underpredict chest injury metrics in far-side impacts.
• The viscous criterion (VCmax) demonstrated the least reliability for assessing chest injury in these specific impact scenarios.