In this study, 23 Post Mortem Human Surrogate (PMHS) limbs were impacted using a test setup that was developed to simulate the loading conditions seen in a frontal collision. Articulation studies were performed on each limb prior to impact. Failure occurred at impact loads of 5.7 +/- 1.9 kN (resultant tibial failure load 6.4 +/- 1.0 kN) and the following injuries were generated: 9 intra-articular calcaneal fractures; 1 talar neck and 2 talar body fractures; 3 intra-articular distal tibial (pilon) fractures; 2 malleolar fractures; 3 soft tissue injuries and 3 had no detectable injury. The impact test conditions were replicated with a Hybrid III leg in a first attempt at developing injury risk functions for the dummy. The study has demonstrated the significance of pre-load through muscle tension and the intrinsic properties of PMHS specimens in the generation of severe ankle and hindfoot injury. (A)
Samenvatting