Sixty-three simulated frontal impacts using cadaveric specimens were performed in order to examine and to quantify the performance of various contemporary automotive restraint systems. Test specimens were instrumented with accelerometers and chest bands in order to characterize their mechanical responses during the impact. The resulting thoracic injury severity was determined using detailed autopsy and was classified using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). The ability of various mechanical parameters and combinations of parameters to assess the observed injury severities was examined and resulted in the observation that belt restraint systems generally had higher injury rates than air bag restraint systems had higher injury rates than air bag restraint systems for the same level of mechanical responses. A dichotomous process was developed. The aim was to provide better injury evaluations from observed mechanical parameters without prior knowledge of what restraint system was being used. The dichotomous process first determines, based on multiple chest deformation patterns, whether the restraint system is behaving belt like of bag like. This process uses either the separately developed belt or bag criteria in order to estimate injury severity. This two-step process has shown improved predictive capabilites for this data set. (A)
Abstract