Occupant Restraint in Far-Side Impacts: Cadaveric and WorldSID Responses to a Far-Side Airbag
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Annals of Biomedical Engineering (Ó 2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02614-w
Original Article
Occupant Restraint in Far-Side Impacts: Cadaveric and WorldSID Responses to a Far-Side Airbag DANIEL PEREZ-RAPELA ,1 JOHN-PAUL DONLON,1 JASON L. FORMAN,1 BENGT PIPKORN,2 BENJAMIN K. SHURTZ,3 CRAIG MARKUSIC,4 and JEFF R. CRANDALL1 1 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Center for Applied Biomechanics, University of Virginia, 4040 Lewis and Clark Dr., Charlottesville, VA 229011, USA; 2Autoliv Research, Va˚rga˚rda, Sweden; 3Autoliv Americas, Auburn Hills, MI, USA; and 4Honda R&D Americas Inc., Raymond, OH, USA
(Received 26 May 2020; accepted 8 September 2020) Associate Editor Estefanı´ a Pen˜a oversaw the review of this article.
Abstract—Previous studies indicate that seatbelts may require supplementary restraints to increase their effectiveness in far-side impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, far-side-specific airbag in restraining and preventing injuries in far-side impacts, and to evaluate the WorldSID’s response to the presence of a far-side airbag. A series of tests with three Post-Mortem Human Subjects and the WorldSID was conducted in a vehicle-based sled environment equipped with a far-side airbag. Results of these tests were evaluated and compared to a previous test series conducted without the airbag. All of the PMHS retained the shoulder belt on the shoulder. The airbag significantly reduced PMHS injury severity and maximum lateral head excursion. While the WorldSID exhibited a similar decrease in lateral excursion, it was unable to represent PMHS thoracic deflection or injury probability, and it consistently slipped out of the shoulder belt. This indicates that the WorldSID is limited both in its ability to evaluate the effect of changes in the seatbelt system and in its ability to predict thoracic injury risk and assess airbag-related injury mitigation countermeasures. Keywords—Biomechanics, Side impact, Injury, Cadavers, ATD, Biofidelity, Countermeasure.
Address correspondence to Daniel Perez-Rapela, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Center for Applied Biomechanics, University of Virginia, 4040 Lewis and Clark Dr., Charlottesville, VA 229011, USA. Electronic mail: dp4db@virginia. edu
INTRODUCTION Far-side crashes account for around 9.5% of all automobile crashes and 8.3% of all MAIS3+ (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale)1 injury cases in the US, head and thorax being the most commonly injured body regions.2,3,8,9,11,18,22,24 These injuries are mainly attributed to interactions of the far-side occupant with the intruding vehicle structure and the vehicle components adjacent to the occupant, including the seatbelt, the seat and the center console.2,3,8,11,18,24 Current restraint systems are not designed to restrain occupants effectively in far-side scenarios. In the majority of far-side impacts, the seatbelt is the only restraint system that engages the occupant. The seatbelt, which is primarily optimized to mitigate injuries in frontal impacts
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