Female and Combined Male-Female Injury Risk Functions for the Anterior Pelvis Under Frontal Lap Belt Loading...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Orthopedic research
• Automotive safety engineering

Background:

• Iliac wing fractures from lap belt loading are documented in labs and real-world scenarios.
• Advancements in automotive design, including automated driving systems (ADS), may increase seatbelt reliance and alter injury patterns.
• Existing injury criteria for lap belt loading focus on male iliac wing fractures, lacking female-specific data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the fracture tolerance of female iliac wings under lap belt loading.
• To compare female fracture tolerance with existing male data.
• To develop injury risk functions for female iliac wing fractures.

Main Methods:

• Tested 20 isolated female iliac wings in a standardized lap belt loading environment.
• Collected fracture force data, including exact failures and right-censored observations.
• Integrated male and female data to analyze sex-based differences and developed injury risk functions using Weibull survival models.

Main Results:

• Female iliac wing fracture tolerance varied widely, ranging from 1134 N to 8759 N, with an average of 4240 N.
• Fourteen out of twenty tested female specimens sustained fractures.
• Age was identified as a statistically significant covariate that improved the predictive performance of the injury risk models.

Conclusions:

• Established initial fracture tolerance data for female iliac wings under lap belt loading.
• Demonstrated the potential influence of age on pelvic injury risk from lap belt loading.
• Highlighted the need for sex-specific injury criteria in automotive safety research.