UMTRI Project

Abdominal Impact Response Characterization

Sponsor: General Motors
Investigator: Lawrence Schneider
03/01/1996 - 03/31/2000

This study was conducted to resolve discrepancies and fill in gaps in the biomechanical impact response of the human abdomen to frontal impact loading. Three types of abdominal loading were studied: rigid-bar impacts, seatbelt loading, and close proximity (out-of-position) airbag deployments. Eleven rigid –bar free-back tests were performed into the mid and upper abdomens of instrumented PMHS using nominal impact speeds of 6 and 9 m/s. Seven fixed-back rigid-bar tests were also conducted at 3, 6, and 9 m/s using one PMHS to examine the effects of body mass, spinal flexion, and repeated testing. Load-penetration corridors were developed and compared to those previously established by other researchers. Six seatbelt tests were conducted with a peak-loading rate of 3 m/s. These tests were designed to maximize belt/abdomen interaction and were not necessarily representative of real-world crashes. The results were compared to data previously obtained by other researchers using swine and were used to establish a new abdominal load-penetration corridor for belt loading. Passenger frontal airbags were deployed into the closely positioned abdomen of three PMHS. The penetration-time histories were used to guide the development of a repeatable high-speed surrogate airbag-loading device that uses a low-mass cylinder to simulate the initial breakout phase of close-proximity passenger airbag loading of the abdomen. This device was used to conduct simulated three out-of-position airbag tests. The response data from these standardized tests were used to develop a load-penetration corridor for abdomen response to out-of-position airbag deployments.