Principal Investigator: Yun Seok Kang, PhD, The Ohio State University

WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT?

This project aimed to understand how the head and neck of the Hybrid III 6-year-old ATD respond to variability in the neck tension set-up and to determine repeatability over multiple tests. We know that head kinematics of the ATD can be influenced by different initial neck tensions, and repeated tests may change the tension level of the neck center cable, potentially changing the responses of the head. It is important for industry members to better understand the reliability of ATD performance during sled testing.

HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?

We developed a mini-sled fixture to simulate a frontal impact scenario and subjected the ATD head and neck assembly to a velocity similar to FMVSS 213 sled tests. We then changed the neck tension to evaluate the sensitivity of the responses. For repeatability we ran over 30 tests.

WAS ANYTHING SURPRISING IN YOUR FINDINGS?

A pleasant surprise for us was that over the course of the 30 tests, all relevant head kinematics and upper neck kinetics showed excellent repeatability. However, these results should be considered as preliminary because we used a mini set-up and not the full sled. Future CChIPS work can utilize this methodology to run multiple tests with the full test sled set-up.

WHY ARE THE FINDINGS IMPORTANT?

Now that we have begun to confirm the repeatability of the Hybrid III ATD head and neck, if CRS and vehicle manufacturers have inconsistencies with data across multiple tests they can check other factors such as ATD posture and positioning, other ATD parts, or the CRS.

Students

Reagan Di Iorio, The Ohio State University; Talmadge Gaither, The Ohio State University; Kyle Kuchynsky, The Ohio State University

IAB Mentors

Mark La Plante, Graco Children’s Products Inc.; Russ Davidson, Lear Corporation; Jerry Wang, Humanetics Innovative Solutions Inc.; Jason Stammen, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Julie Kleinert, Technical Advisor