This paper describes the steps taken to improve the biomechanical fidelity of the neck of the frontal impact test dummy, the Hybrid III, to make it more suitable for motorcycle crash testing. On the basis of volunteer and cadaver studies, several refinements have been made to the Hybrid Ill neck. These include changes to the range of motion of the head/neck joint and its means of static adjustment, a change in the neck stiffness in flexion/extension, and the improvement of torsional biofidelity. The purpose of these modifications is to improve the response characteristics of the neck: (1) to allow the dummy to be used in a larger range of postures than the standard; and (2) to make the neck and head respond more realistically during the testing of current motorcycle safety systems. (A)
Samenvatting