校车儿童乘员约束系统的参数优化研究

为预防校车正面碰撞对儿童乘员的伤害,有必要分析和优化校车儿童乘员约束系统(CRS)参数。首先利用多刚体动力学分析软件(MADYMO),建立包括地板、前后排座椅、安全带与6岁儿童假人在内的校车乘员正面碰撞仿真模型。根据某型客车实车试验结果,验证模型的有效性。通过分析CRS参数的灵敏度,确定主要影响参数。采用正交试验的设计方法进行主要影响参数的正交优化;应用极差分析方法,得到一组最佳水平组合数据;对改进后的模型进行仿真计算,并与原模型比较。结果表明,经过优化的CRS能使6岁乘员的头部和胸部伤害指标都下降20%左右,并使伤害曲线变得更加平缓。     

校车儿童安全气囊安全性仿真分析

为提高校车乘员约束系统在正面碰撞中对儿童乘员的保护效果,提出一种新型主动式校车儿童安全气囊。运用多刚体动力学分析软件MADYMO建立包括地板、前后排座椅、安全带与第5百分位女性假人在内的校车乘员正面碰撞仿真模型,通过台车试验结果验证模型的准确性。在此基础上,建立主动式安全气囊模型,研究其对12岁和6岁乘员的保护效果。用正交试验方法,分析气囊设计参数,针对12岁乘员进行气囊优化。结果表明:头部气囊的厚度及排气孔大小对乘员伤害影响最大。与原始约束系统相比,经优化后的气囊使12岁乘员的头部、胸部和颈部伤害分别下降84.5%,19%和84.3%,同时加装气囊对6岁儿童也有一定的保护效果。     

约束系统对不同体型女性驾驶人的保护研究

为提高轿车正面碰撞中约束系统对不同体型女性驾驶人的保护效果,依据美国国家高速公路交通安全管理局(NHTSA)的一例实车碰撞试验数据,基于Madymo软件建立有效的驾驶侧仿真模型。利用人体放缩法建立符合中国成年女性身体尺寸的第5、50和95百分位的女性驾驶人模型,以正交试验法进行仿真试验,研究转向管柱倾角、座椅高度、安全带上挂点高度、座椅靠背倾角以及气囊点爆时间等参数的匹配对女性驾驶人损伤的影响。结果表明:女性驾驶人体型越高大,其整体损伤(WIC)值越低;约束系统模型优化后,能明显降低小身材和中等身材女性驾驶人WIC值。     

可翻转坐垫参数优化代理模型的构建及其比较

针对汽车发生正面碰撞时,后排乘员由于没有安全气囊保护而受到严重伤害的高概率问题,提出用可翻转座椅坐垫保护后排乘员的构想。基于宝腾汽车公司的某A级车,采用非线性有限元软件LS-DYNA建立后排乘员约束系统的仿真模型,对比仿真与实车碰撞试验结果,验证模型的有效性;并在此基础上加入可翻转坐垫,设置坐垫翻转参数。采用Isight软件,通过代理模型方法,建立坐垫翻转参数与乘员伤害指标的数学关系,比较利用响应面法(RSM)和Kriging法所构建的两个代理模型与仿真模型的差值,综合考虑翻转参数对假人伤害指标的影响。结果表明,对于该乘员约束系统,利用Kriging法构建的代理模型有效性较高,各项伤害指标误差均值均低于RSM模型。     

多种儿童坐姿下预充气式安全气囊优化设计

为提升校车正面碰撞中预充气式安全气囊对6岁儿童乘员的保护功效，开展参数分析及优化设计研究，基于台车试验，构建、验证校车仿真模型；搭建校车-预充气式安全气囊耦合模型，面向正常坐姿(NP)、前倾坐姿(OOP₁)与右倾坐姿(OOP₂),探究气囊设计参数对儿童头部伤害指标(HIC)、胸部3 ms合成加速度a_3ms的影响特征。结果表明：当上部拉带长度增加时，气囊上部包形体积增大，HIC明显下降。中部拉带长度决定中下部包形的外部轮廓，安装点高度影响儿童与气囊的接触位置及时刻。NP与OOP₂下，当中部拉带由0.29 m减少至0.26 m时，a_3ms逐渐降低；当安装点高度上升时，HIC随之升高。减小、增大泄气阀的开启压力与开度，有利于头胸部保护。基于改进型第二代非支配排序遗传算法，以加权伤害指标为优化目标，权衡确定主要设计参数的最优配置。具备最优配置的预充气式安全气囊能够高效保护6岁儿童乘员。     

滤筒除尘器清灰均匀性影响因素及影响程度的模拟与优化研究

针对滤筒除尘器多孔脉冲喷吹清灰不均匀的问题,利用FLUENT数值模拟的方式建立了49种喷吹管设计参数与除尘器运行参数不同的正交试验组合模型,研究喷吹管管径D、喷孔直径d、喷嘴个数N、喷嘴间距L、喷嘴高度H和喷吹压力P等6个因素对多孔脉冲喷吹清灰不均匀度σ的影响程度,通过数值模拟试验与数据分析得到了6个因素影响程度的排序,基于喷孔直径d对清灰不均匀度σ影响程度最大的结果,以5孔脉冲喷吹管为例进行了对喷孔直径的优化改进,优化后的模型使滤筒除尘器的清灰均匀度提高了3倍,对喷吹管的参数设计具有指导意义。     

校车3点式安全带肩带固定点位置优化

为研究校车3点式安全带肩带上部有效固定点布置位置对12岁儿童乘员损伤的影响,在多刚体动力学软件(MADYMO)中建立包括校车地板、前后排座椅、安全带和假人的校车正面碰撞工况下的约束系统模型。利用一款经过验证的校车模型进行仿真试验,通过正交试验方法优化肩带上部有效固定点位置,研究安全带对12岁儿童乘员的保护效果。结果表明,肩带上部有效固定点位置高度接近12岁儿童肩部高度,对其位置正交优化后,根据儿童完全伤害评价指标(WIC)选出的最佳位置为(-0.197,0.024,0.52),相较于2点式安全带,采用该位置的3点式安全带对应12岁儿童的头部伤害指标(HIC15)降低84.8%,颈部伤害指标(Nij)降低68.9%,胸部压缩量(THPC)虽升高了271.5%但仍在标准限值内。     

基于文丘里效应的排烟风机出口优化设计

为改善某型排烟风机性能,本文基于文丘里效应对其出口进行了优化设计。分析确定了影响文丘里出口性能的主要因素。通过正交设计对不同因素配置的方案进行了仿真实验,利用综合评分法和极差分析法确定了各因素的主次顺序,获得了最优组合,即渐缩比为0.5、渐缩角为0.96rad、位置参数b为0.6、位置参数c为0.5,喉管长径比为1.3。对最优组合进行了实验验证,结果表明:选取最优的文丘里出口设计方案,可以使排烟风机总排烟量提升35.4%,出口烟气流动不稳定性也得到了改善。证明利用文丘里效应进行风机出口优化设计的方案是有效的。     

基于改进粒子群算法的儿童防护系统优化

为保障儿童乘车安全，采用改进多目标粒子群算法优化儿童约束防护系统。首先，开展40%偏置碰撞的台车试验，验证儿童座椅台车试验仿真模型的有效性，建立儿童安全气囊模型；然后，建立防护系统参数与儿童头部、胸部损伤指标的二阶响应曲面模型，融合遗传算法的交叉变异和精英保留策略，提出改进的多目标粒子群算法，并验证改进算法的有效性；最后，利用多目标模糊优选决策算法获得系统设计参数的最优值，结合台车试验仿真模型，验证优化模型及算法的有效性。结果表明：模型的最优值兼顾对儿童头部和胸部的防护；遗传算法和粒子群算法的融合算法，可提高模型的收敛速度。     

基于煤粉堆积角的EDEM颗粒接触参数标定

为了使EDEM软件中数值模拟结果能够准确地反映煤粉颗粒的流动特性,设计颗粒-颗粒接触参数标定的正交试验,提出基于煤粉颗粒堆积角的颗粒-颗粒接触参数标定方法。采用极差分析法和方差分析法分析颗粒-颗粒接触参数的最优因素水平和接触参数对堆积角的影响显著性。研究结果表明:选用的550～600μm煤粉颗粒堆积角真值为30.33°;颗粒-颗粒的滚动摩擦系数对堆积角计算结果的影响最为显著,静摩擦系数次之,恢复系数最小;当EDEM中颗粒-颗粒的滚动摩擦系数、静摩擦系数、恢复系数依次为0.3、0.5和0.1时,颗粒堆积角结果为30.13°,相对误差仅为0.66%,为最佳的接触参数组合值。     

Difference in dummy responses in matched side impact tests of vehicles with and without side airbags

Objective: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) high-hooded side impacts were analyzed for matched vehicle tests with and without side airbags. The comparison provides a measure of the effectiveness of side airbags in reducing biomechanical responses for near-side occupants struck by trucks, SUVs, and vans at 50 km/h.

Method: The IIHS moving deformable barrier (MDB) uses a high-hooded barrier face. It weighs 1,500 kg and impacts the driver side perpendicular to the vehicle at 50 km/h. SID IIs dummies are placed in the driver and left second-row seats. They represent fifth percentile female occupants.

IIHS tests were reviewed for matches with one test with a side airbag and another without it in 2003–2007 model year (MY) vehicles. Four side airbag systems were evaluated: (1) curtain and torso side airbags, (2) head and torso side airbag, (3) curtain side airbag, and (4) torso side airbag.

There were 24 matched IIHS vehicle tests: 13 with and without a curtain and torso side airbags, 4 with and without a head and torso side airbag, 5 with and without a side curtain airbag, and 2 with and without a torso airbag. The head, chest, and pelvis responses were compared for each match and the average difference was determined across all matches for a type of side airbag.

Results: The average reduction in head injury criterion (HIC) was 68 ± 16% (P < .001) with curtain and torso side airbags compared to the HIC without side airbags. The average HIC was 296 with curtain and torso side airbags and 1,199 without them. The viscous response (VC) was reduced 54 ± 19% (P < .005) with curtain and torso side airbags. The combined acetabulum and ilium force (7 ± 15%) and pelvic acceleration (?2 ± 17%) were essentially similar in the matched tests.

The head and torso side airbag reduced HIC by 42 ± 30% (P < .1) and VC by 32 ± 26% compared to vehicles without a side airbag. The average HIC was 397 with the side head and torso airbag compared to 729 without it. The curtain airbag and torso airbag only showed lower head responses but essentially no difference in the chest and pelvis responses.

Conclusion: The curtain and torso side airbags effectively reduced biomechanical responses for the head and chest in 50 km/h side impacts with a high-hooded deformable barrier. The reductions in the IIHS tests are directionally the same as estimated fatality reductions in field crashes reported by NHTSA for side airbags.     

Feasibility Study of Airbag Concept Applicable to Motorcycles Without Sufficient Reaction Structure

Objectives: An airbag system for motorcycle applications was developed and marketed in 2006 followed by many research projects on the system. In the airbag system, the bag should be supported during the kinetic energy–absorbing period of a rider in a collision. The previously developed system employed a configuration in which motorcycle structures support the airbag, such as a gauge unit and/or a steering structure. The supporting structure functions to receive the reaction force to hold the airbag during a crash to properly absorb the rider's kinetic energy. However, the previous system requires a larger area for this reaction structure and is applicable only to the motorcycles that can provide that area. To overcome this limitation, we propose an airbag system employing another concept. In this concept, the airbag does not use its vehicle structures as a reaction structure but uses the structures of an opposing vehicle, such as doors and/or pillars of an opposing vehicle. In this project, we aim to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system when installed in a motorcycle that cannot provide a larger area for the reaction structure.

Methods: In the system with this concept, it is assumed that the occupant protection performance is largely affected depending on impact configurations. Accordingly, full-scale motorcycle-to-car crash tests using 125 cm³ scooter-type models with and without the proposed system were conducted in various impact configurations. The 7 impact configurations specified in ISO 13232 were selected as the test configurations. Injury variables and injury indices of head, neck, chest, and abdomen were evaluated with the motorcyclist dummy.

Results: Injury variables and indices obtained from the crash tests with the airbag were compared to those of the baseline tests. In 2 impact configurations, the airbags were supported by the side structures of the opposing vehicle and performed to reduce the injury variable of head and/or chest compared to that of the baseline test.

Conclusion: Through the crash tests, beneficial protection effects of the airbag system were confirmed in particular impact configurations. No significant risk for the occupant due to the airbag was observed in the conducted crash tests. It was concluded that the proposed airbag system has feasibility to reduce rider injury in a collision of a motorcycle without sufficient reaction structure.     

Potential of a Precrash Lateral Occupant Movement in Side Collisions of (Electric) Minicars

Objective: In minicars, the survival space between the side structure and occupant is smaller than in conventional cars. This is an issue in side collisions. Therefore, in this article a solution is studied in which a lateral seat movement is imposed in the precrash phase. It generates a pre-acceleration and an initial velocity of the occupant, thus reducing the loads due to the side impact.

Methods: The assessment of the potential is done by numerical simulations and a full-vehicle crash test. The optimal parameters of the restraint system including the precrash movement, time-to-fire of head and side airbag, etc., are found using metamodel-based optimization methods by minimizing occupant loads according to European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).

Results: The metamodel-based optimization approach is able to tune the restraint system parameters. The numerical simulations show a significant averaged reduction of 22.3% in occupant loads.

Conclusion: The results show that the lateral precrash occupant movement offers better occupant protection in side collisions.     

The Importance of Non-struck Side Occupants in Side Collisions

Current occupant protection assessment for side impact is focused on struck side occupants sitting alone. In a representative sample of tow-away side collisions from the UK, only one-third of front seat occupants in side collisions were alone, on the struck side of the car. The other two-thirds were either a non-struck side occupant alone or a situation where the adjacent seat was also occupied. In terms of restraint protection for non-struck side occupants, belts appeared to be less effective in perpendicular compared to oblique side crashes. Front seat occupancy had bearing on injury outcome. With both front seats occupied, there was a reduction in AIS 27+ injury to belted non-struck side occupants due to a reduction in chest and lower limb injuries. Struck side occupants sustained increased injury rates to the extremities when accompanied by a belted non-struck side occupant but no notable increases in moderate to serious injury to the head, chest, abdomen or pelvis.     

Injuries in Full-Scale Vehicle Side Impact Moving Deformable Barrier and Pole Tests Using Postmortem Human Subjects

Objective: To conduct near-side moving deformable barrier (MDB) and pole tests with postmortem human subjects (PMHS) in full-scale modern vehicles, document and score injuries, and examine the potential for angled chest loading in these tests to serve as a data set for dummy biofidelity evaluations and computational modeling.

Methods: Two PMHS (outboard left front and rear seat occupants) for MDB and one PMHS (outboard left front seat occupant) for pole tests were used. Both tests used sedan-type vehicles from same manufacturer with side airbags. Pretest x-ray and computed tomography (CT) images were obtained. Three-point belt-restrained surrogates were positioned in respective outboard seats. Accelerometers were secured to T1, T6, and T12 spines; sternum and pelvis; seat tracks; floor; center of gravity; and MDB. Load cells were used on the pole. Biomechanical data were gathered at 20 kHz. Outboard and inboard high-speed cameras were used for kinematics. X-rays and CT images were taken and autopsy was done following the test. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2005 scoring scheme was used to score injuries.

Results: MDB test: male (front seat) and female (rear seat) PMHS occupant demographics: 52 and 57 years, 177 and 166 cm stature, 78 and 65 kg total body mass. Demographics of the PMHS occupant in the pole test: male, 26 years, 179 cm stature, and 84 kg total body mass. Front seat PMHS in MDB test: 6 near-side rib fractures (AIS = 3): 160–265 mm vertically from suprasternal notch and 40–80 mm circumferentially from center of sternum. Left rear seat PMHS responded with multiple bilateral rib fractures: 9 on the near side and 5 on the contralateral side (AIS = 3). One rib fractured twice. On the near and contralateral sides, fractures were 30–210 and 20–105 mm vertically from the suprasternal notch and 90–200 and 55–135 mm circumferentially from the center of sternum. A fracture of the left intertrochanteric crest occurred (AIS = 3). Pole test PMHS had one near-side third rib fracture. Thoracic accelerations of the 2 occupants were different in the MDB test. Though both occupants sustained positive and negative x-accelerations to the sternum, peak magnitudes and relative changes were greater for the rear than the front seat occupant. Magnitudes of the thoracic and sternum accelerations were lower in the pole test.

Conclusions: This is the first study to use PMHS occupants in MDB and pole tests in the same recent model year vehicles with side airbag and head curtain restraints. Injuries to the unilateral thorax for the front seat PMHS in contrast to the bilateral thorax and hip for the rear seat occupant in the MDB test indicate the effects of impact on the seating location and restraint system. Posterolateral locations of fractures to the front seat PMHS are attributed to constrained kinematics of occupant interaction with torso side airbag restraint system. Angled loading to the rear seat occupant from coupled sagittal and coronal accelerations of the sternum representing anterior thorax loading contributed to bilateral fractures. Inward bending initiated by the distal femur complex resulting in adduction of ipsilateral lower extremity resulted in intertrochanteric fracture to the rear seat occupant. These results serve as a data set for evaluating the biofidelity of the WorldSID and federalized side impact dummies and assist in validating human body computational models, which are increasingly used in crashworthiness studies.     

Cross-correlation between the controlled collision environment and real-world motor vehicle collisions: Evaluating the protection of the thoracic side airbag

Objective: Thoracic side airbags (tSABs) were integrated into the vehicle fleet to attenuate and distribute forces on the occupant's chest and abdomen, dissipate the impact energy, and move the occupant away from the intruding structure, all of which reduce the risk of injury. This research piece investigates and evaluates the safety performance of the airbag unit by cross-correlating data from a controlled collision environment with field data.

Method: We focus exclusively on vehicle–vehicle lateral impacts from the NHTSA's Vehicle Crash Test Database and NASS-CDS database, which are replicated in the controlled environment by the (crabbed) barrier impact. Similar collisions with and without seat-embedded tSABs are matched to each other and the injury risks are compared.

Results: Results indicated that dummy-based thoracic injury metrics were significantly lower with tSAB exposure (P <.001). Yet, when the controlled collision environment data were cross-correlated with NASS-CDS collisions, deployment of the tSAB indicated no association with thoracic injury (tho. MAIS 2+ unadjusted relative risk [RR] = 1.14; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–1.62; tho. MAIS 3+ unadjusted RR = 1.12; 90% CI, 0.76–1.65).

Conclusion: The data from the controlled collision environment indicated an unequivocal benefit provided by the thoracic side airbag for the crash dummy; however, the real-world collisions demonstrate that no benefit is provided to the occupant. This has resulted from a noncorrelation between the crash test/dummy-based design taking the abstracting process too far to represent the real-world collision scenario.     

富水砂层刚度参数敏感性分析及地表沉降预测*

为了在富水砂层地铁盾构施工中保证施工安全，控制地表沉降是其重要措施。依托福州地铁盾构工程项目，利用正交试验方法，使用有限元软件Plaxis 3D建立25个数值分析模型，采用反分析的方法，确定富水砂层土体硬化模型(Harding Soil model)主要刚度参数之间的关系；通过对各刚度参数进行极差分析与方差分析，确定土体硬化模型各刚度参数敏感性和显著性，建立刚度参数与地表沉降的数学模型。研究结果可以较好地对最大地表沉降进行预测，为富水砂层参数优化和盾构施工地表沉降预测提供理论基础。     

THOR dummy chest deflection response in oblique and lateral far-side sled tests

Abstract

Objective: The focus of this study is side impact. Though occupant injury assessment and protection in nearside impacts has received considerable attention and safety standards have been promulgated, field studies show that a majority of far-side occupant injuries are focused on the head and thorax. The 50th percentile male Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR) has been used in oblique and lateral far-side impact sled tests, and regional body accelerations and forces and moments recorded by load cells have been previously reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the chestband-based deflection responses from these tests.

Methods: The 3-point belt–restrained 50th percentile male THOR dummy was seated upright in a buck consisting of a rigid flat seat, simulated center console, dashboard, far-side side door structure, and armrest. It was designed to conduct pure lateral and oblique impacts. The center console, dashboard, simulated door structure, and armrest were covered with energy-absorbing materials. A center-mounted airbag was mounted to the right side of the seat. Two 59-gage chestbands were routed on the circumference of the thorax, with the upper and lower chestbands at the level of the third and sixth ribs, respectively, following the rib geometry. Oblique and pure lateral far-side impact tests with and without airbags were conducted at 8.3 m/s. Maximum chest deflections were computed by processing temporal contours using custom software and 3 methods: Procedures paralleling human cadaver studies, using the actual anchor point location and actual alignment of the InfraRed Telescoping Rods for the Assessment of Chest Compression (IR-TRACC) in the dummy on each aspect—that is, right or left,—and using the same anchor location of the internal sensor but determining the location of the peak chest deflection on the contour confined to the aspect of the sensor; these were termed the SD, ID, and TD metrics, respectively.

Results: All deformation contours at the upper and lower thorax levels and associated peak deflections are given for all tests. Briefly, the ID metrics were the lowest in magnitude for both pure lateral and oblique modes, regardless of the presence or absence of an airbag. This was followed by the TD metric, and the SD metric produced the greatest deflections.

Conclusion: The chestbands provide a unique opportunity to compute peak deflections that parallel current IR-TRACC-type deflections and allow computation of peak deflections independent of the initial point of attachment to the rib. The differing locations of the peak deflection vectors along the rib contours for different test conditions suggest that a priori attachment is less effective. Further, varying magnitudes of the differences between ID and TD metrics underscore the difficulty in extrapolating ID outputs under different conditions: Pure lateral versus oblique, airbag presence, and thoracic levels. Deflection measurements should, therefore, not be limited to an instrument that can only track from a fixed point. For improved predictions, these results suggest the need to investigate alternative techniques, such as optical methods to improve chest deflection measurements for far-side occupant injury assessment and mitigation.     

Census Study of Real-Life Near-Side Crashes with Modern Side Airbag-Equipped Vehicles in the United States

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the crash characteristics, injury distribution, and injury mechanisms for Maximum Abbreviated Injury Score (MAIS) 2+ injured belted, near-side occupants in airbag-equipped modern vehicles. Furthermore, differences in injury distribution for senior occupants compared to non-senior occupants was investigated, as well as whether the near-side occupant injury risk to the head and thorax increases or decreases with a neighboring occupant.

Method: National Automotive Sampling System's Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) data from 2000 to 2012 were searched for all side impacts (GAD L&R, all principal direction of force) for belted occupants in modern vehicles (model year > 1999). Rollovers were excluded, and only front seat occupants over the age of 10 were included. Twelve thousand three hundred fifty-four MAIS 2+ injured occupants seated adjacent to the intruding structure (near-side) and protected by at least one deployed side airbag were studied. To evaluate the injury risk influenced by the neighboring occupant, odds ratio with an induced exposure approach was used.

Result: The most typical crash occurred either at an intersection or in a left turn where the striking vehicle impacted the target vehicle at a 60 to 70° angle, resulting in a moderate change of velocity (delta-V) and intrusion at the B-pillar. The head, thorax, and pelvis were the most frequent body regions with rib fracture the most frequent specific injury. A majority of the head injuries included brain injuries without skull fracture, and non-senior rather than senior occupants had a higher frequency of head injuries on the whole. In approximately 50% of the cases there was a neighboring occupant influencing injury outcome.

Conclusion: Compared to non-senior occupants, the senior occupants sustained a considerably higher rate of thoracic and pelvis injuries, which should be addressed by improved thorax side airbag protection. The influence on near-side occupant injury risk by the neighboring occupant should also be further evaluated. Furthermore, side airbag performance and injury assessments in intersection crashes, especially those involving senior occupants in lower severities, should be further investigated and side impact dummy biofidelity and injury criteria must be determined for these crash scenarios.     

Chest injuries of elderly postmortem human surrogates (PMHSs) under seat belt and airbag loading in frontal sled impacts: Comparison to matching THOR tests

Abstract

Objective: The goal of the study was to develop experimental chest loading conditions that would cause up to Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2 chest injuries in elderly occupants in moderate-speed frontal crashes. The new set of experimental data was also intended to be used in the benchmark of existing thoracic injury criteria in lower-speed collision conditions.

Methods: Six male elderly (age >63) postmortem human subjects (PMHS) were exposed to a 35?km/h (nominal) frontal sled impact. The test fixture consisted of a rigid seat, rigid footrest, and cable seat back. Two restraint conditions (A and B) were compared. Occupants were restrained by a force-limited (2.5?kN [A] and 2?kN [B]) seat belt and a preinflated (16?kPa [A] and 11?kPa [B]; airbag). Condition B also incorporated increased seat friction. Matching sled tests were carried out with the THOR-M dummy. Infra-red telescoping rod for the assessment of chest compression (IRTRACC) readings were used to compute chest injury risk. PMHSs were exposed to a posttest injury assessment. Tests were carried out in 2 stages, using the outcome of the first one combined with a parametric study using the THUMS model to adjust the test conditions in the second. All procedures were approved by the relevant ethics board.

Results: Restraint condition A resulted in an unexpected high number of rib fractures (fx; 10, 14, 15 fx). Under condition B, the adjustment of the relative airbag/occupant position combined with a lower airbag pressure and lower seat belt load limit resulted in a reduced pelvic excursion (85 vs. 110?mm), increased torso pitch and a substantially lower number of rib fractures (1, 0, 4 fx) as intended.

Conclusions: The predicted risk of rib fractures provided by the THOR dummy using the C_max and PC Score injury criteria were lower than the actual injuries observed in the PMHS tests (especially in restraint condition A). However, the THOR dummy was capable of discriminating between the 2 restraint scenarios. Similar results were obtained in the parametric study with the THUMS model.