Three improvements for the Hybrid III dummy parts are proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); they are the neck shield, hip joint, and ankle joint. In this paper, two modifications of the three, the neck shield and hip joint, are evaluated. The recommended neck shield was tested and compared to the previous type to investigate the following: (1) The effect of the neck moment on both the recommended and previous type; and (2) the comparison between the stiffness of the neck shield and human soft tissue under the chin, using a volunteer static test. From these tests, the new recommended neck shield performed better than the previous type with respect to both biofidelity and the effect on the neck moment test. The neck shield for the 5th percentile female was also considered. The hip joint recommended by NHTSA was compared with the modified joint and pelvis proposed by Toyota. It was found that the NHTSA's recommended hip joint eliminated the hip lock due to metal-to-metal contact. It was also found that the maximum rotation angle of the NHTSA's recommended hip joint was less than that of the hip joint and pelvis proposed by Toyota. (A)
Abstract