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Dynamic Responses of Female Volunteers in Rear Impact Sled Tests at Two Head Restraint Distances.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to assess the biomechanical and kinematic responses of female volunteers with two different head restraint (HR) configurations when exposed to a low-speed rear loading environment. A series of rear impact sled tests comprising eight belted, near 50th percentile female volunteers, seated on a simplified laboratory seat, was performed with a mean sled acceleration of 2.1 g and a velocity change of 6.8 km/h. Each volunteer underwent two tests; the first test configuration, HR10, was performed at the initial HR distance ∼10 cm and the second test configuration, HR15, was performed at ∼15 cm. Time histories, peak values and their timing were derived from accelerometer data and video analysis, and response corridors were also generated. The results were separated into three different categories, HR10 _C (N = 8), HR15 _C (N = 6), and HR15 _N _C (N = 2), based on: (1) the targeted initial HR distance [10 cm or 15 cm] and (2) whether the volunteers' head had made contact with the HR [Contact (C) or No Contact (NC)] during the test event. The results in the three categories deviated significantly. The greatest differences were found for the average peak head angular displacements, ranging from 10° to 64°. Furthermore, the average neck injury criteria (NIC) value was 22% lower in HR10 _C (3.9 m²/s²), and 49% greater in HR15 _N _C (7.4 m²/s²) in comparison to HR15 _C (5.0 m²/s²). This study supplies new data suitable for validation of mechanical or mathematical models of a 50th percentile female. A model of a 50th percentile female remains to be developed and is urgently required to complement the average male models to enhance equality in safety assessments. Hence, it is important that future protection systems are developed and evaluated with female properties taken into consideration too. It is likely that the HR15 test configuration is close to the limit for avoiding HR contact for this specific seat setup. Using both datasets (HR15 _C and HR15 _N _C ), each with its corresponding HR contact condition, will be possible in future dummy or model evaluation.

SUBMITTER: Carlsson A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8217471 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The increased incidence of injury demonstrated in epidemiological data for the elderly population, and females compared to males, has not been fully understood in the context of the biomechanical response to impact. A contributing factor to these differences in injury risk could be the variation in geometry between young and aged persons and between males and females. In this study, a new methodology, coupling a CAD and a repositioning software, was developed to reposture an existing Finite element neck while retaining a high level of mesh quality. A 5th percentile female aged neck model (F0575YO) and a 50th percentile male aged neck model (M5075YO) were developed from existing young (F0526YO and M5026YO) neck models (Global Human Body Models Consortium v5.1). The aged neck models included an increased cervical lordosis and an increase in the facet joint angles, as reported in the literature. The young and the aged models were simulated in frontal (2, 8, and 15 g) and rear (3, 7, and 10 g) impacts. The responses were compared using head and relative facet joint kinematics, and nominal intervertebral disc shear strain. In general, the aged models predicted higher tissue deformations, although the head kinematics were similar for all models. In the frontal impact, only the M5075YO model predicted hard tissue failure, attributed to the combined effect of the more anteriorly located head with age, when compared to the M5026YO, and greater neck length relative to the female models. In the rear impacts, the F0575YO model predicted higher relative facet joint shear compared to the F0526YO, and higher relative facet joint rotation and nominal intervertebral disc strain compared to the M5075YO. When comparing the male models, the relative facet joint kinematics predicted by the M5026YO and M5075YO were similar. The contrast in response between the male and female models in the rear impacts was attributed to the higher lordosis and facet angle in females compared to males. Epidemiological data reported that females were more likely to sustain Whiplash Associated Disorders in rear impacts compared to males, and that injury risk increases with age, in agreement with the findings in the present study. This study demonstrated that, although the increased lordosis and facet angle did not affect the head kinematics, changes at the tissue level were considerable (e.g., 26% higher relative facet shear in the female neck compared to the male, for rear impact) and relatable to the epidemiology. Future work will investigate tissue damage and failure through the incorporation of aged material properties and muscle activation.

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Dynamic Responses of Female Volunteers in Rear Impact Sled Tests at Two Head Restraint Distances.

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