High-speed seatbelt pretensioner loading of the abdomen

This study characterizes the response of the human cadaver abdomen to high-speed seatbelt loading using pyrotechnic pretensioners. A test apparatus was developed to deliver symmetric loading to the abdomen using a seatbelt equipped with two low-mass load cells. Eight subjects were tested under worst...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inStapp car crash journal Vol. 50; pp. 27 - 51
Main Authors Foster, Craig D, Hardy, Warren N, Yang, King H, King, Albert I, Hashimoto, Syuzo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States The Stapp Association 01.11.2006
Subjects
Abdomen
Abdomen - physiology
Acceleration
Adult
Aged, 80 and over
Automobiles
Cadaver
Cadavers
Compressive Strength
Data processing
Design
Elasticity
Female
Females
Humans
Impact tests
Injuries
Load
Male
Middle Aged
Models, Biological
Physical Stimulation - instrumentation
Physical Stimulation - methods
Risk assessment
Seat Belts
Species Specificity
Statistical analysis
Stomach
Stress, Mechanical
Systems design
Testing
Traffic accidents & safety
Trauma
Weight-Bearing - physiology
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This study characterizes the response of the human cadaver abdomen to high-speed seatbelt loading using pyrotechnic pretensioners. A test apparatus was developed to deliver symmetric loading to the abdomen using a seatbelt equipped with two low-mass load cells. Eight subjects were tested under worst-case scenario, out-of-position (OOP) conditions. A seatbelt was placed at the level of mid-umbilicus and drawn back along the sides of the specimens, which were seated upright using a fixed-back configuration. Penetration was measured by a laser, which tracked the anterior aspect of the abdomen, and by high-speed video. Additionally, aortic pressure was monitored. Three different pretensioner designs were used, referred to as system A, system B and system C. The B and C systems employed single pretensioners. The A system consisted of two B system pretensioners. The vascular systems of the subjects were perfused. Peak anterior abdominal loads due to the seatbelt ranged from 2.8 kN to 10.1 kN. Peak abdominal penetration ranged from 49 mm to 138 mm. Peak penetration speed ranged from 4.0 m/s to 13.3 m/s. Three cadavers sustained liver injury: one AIS 2, and two AIS 3. Cadaver abdominal response corridors for the A and B system pretensioners are proposed. The results are compared to the data reported by Hardy et al. (2001) and Trosseille et al. (2002).
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1532-8546