The purpose of this paper is to develop a fracture tolerance for the elbow joint relative to the fracture risk under side-impact airbag loading. Forty experiments were conducted using specimen similar to that of a young female. The test configuration was designed to mimic the elbow loading observed from a deploying seat-mounted side-impact airbag. The results of these tests will be used to design future side-impact airbags that minimize the risk of elbow fractures as a result of deployment.
Abstract