UMTRI Project

Investigation of Airbag-Induced Forearm Fractures

Sponsor:
Investigator: Lawrence Schneider
00/00/0000 - 00/00/0000

This program investigated factors that influence airbag-induced upper-extremity injuries sustained by drivers. Nineteen tests were performed using PMHS, where loading severity by the airbag was controlled by varying distance between the airbag module and the instrumented forearm and the airbag inflator. Fractures typically occurred within 5 to 10 ms of the onset of airbag pressure. Peak and average distal forearm speed (ADFS) were found to be good predictors of forearm fracture, while internal-airbag pressure was not. The initial study was extended by testing a variety of depowered and pre-depowered airbags. A 50% probability of forearm fractures is associated with a 10.5 m/s ADFS.