European child restraints are designed and manufactured according to the ECE-R44 standard. This standard specifies the use of the 3 years old dummy TNO P3 (nominal mass of 15 kg) for homoligation testing of group I and II child restraint systems. Recently, the successor of the P3, the TNO Q3 has become available. This dummy has been designed to comply with the ECE mass groups and provides improved biofidelity and injury assessment capabilities. In this study comparative sled tests were conducted between the two dummies under ECE-R44 and oblique test conditions at the Crash Safety Centre of TNO in Delft. The fundamental design differences in lumar spine, chest and neck area between the two dummies lead to differences in kinematics and kinetics. However, when used in ECE-R44, the results from the two dummies are expected to be similar and directly comparable.
Samenvatting