A study was carried out using detailed traffic accident data from rear-end car collisions involving Volvo cars. Vehicle and occupant related parameters influencing the risk of neck injury were identified. A new humanlike occupant model was developed in MADYMO-format comprising a mechanical equivalent of the complex spine. The motions of the occupant model were compared to volunteer data from a corresponding rear-end impact situation. The biofidelity of the model was found to be adequate for qualitative assessment of the influence of occupant and vehicle related parameters on the occupant response. Tensile and shear forces between adjacent vertebrae, head angular acceleration and "flow" of the lower cervical spine were found to best predict risk of injury in this model.
Samenvatting