Correlation of Side Impact Dummy/Cadaver Tests

Abstract

<div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper is part of a four year study to systematically define side impact injury in terms of the kinetic response of a suitable anthropomorphic dummy. Last year a paper was presented at the Experimental Safety Vehicle Conference in Germany which analyzed side impact dummy response and injury prediction based on cadaver data generated by the Highway Safety Research Institute. These subjects were generally older than those discussed in the current paper. This paper includes data from a number of University of Heidelberg cadaver sled tests-including padding tests which we recently found to be (<span class="xref">1</span>) critical for a definitive analysis and (<span class="xref">2</span>) previously not available.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Two advanced dummies, whose design specifications are based upon biomechanical data, are currently being evaluated by the biomechanical community. The two dummies are (<span class="xref">1</span>) a Side Impact Dummy (SID) designed by the Highway Safety Research Institute (HSRI) and (<span class="xref">2</span>) the Association Peugeot-Renault (APR) dummy from France. The performance of these two candidate dummy designs is compared by a variety of techniques in seven identical tests using cadavers. These tests are chosen for use in evaluating biofidelity, repeatability, and dummy/padding interaction.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Among these techniques is a cumulative variance analysis-similar to a root-mean-square analysis-of the acceleration signal for the seven unique sled/pendulum tests where acceleration response data exists for APR dummy, SID, and cadavers. This cumulative variance approach allows an objective comparison of the response of each dummy design with respect to the cadaver data.</div>