This article describes research which investigates the effect of dummy type choice upon the results of vehicle pedestrian protection studies. Different types of dummy are studied, each with different parameters such as shape, mass, and stiffness. One type was the hybrid 2 dummy of the head, and the others were different Hybrid 2 dummies of the lower leg (rigid, compliant ballasted, or compliant unballasted). These results obtained using these "body component" models were compared with those obtained in full scale tests using either adult dummies. (Humanoid systems 572-50P) or child dummies (Humanoid Systems 572-6C). Several different car types were used in all these tests, and they ranged in shape from the square to the 'V' front shape. Dummy acceleration at various collision speeds was tested ranging from 5-50 Km/hr. The test procedure was specified by the Committee of Common Market Manufacturers (CCMC). The results showed that for full scale tests, the repeatability of the accelerometric measurement is good, both with the adult and child pedestrian dummies, and this can be used to ascertain the influence of impact severity (i.e. impact speed, without being affected by the test itself. However this is true only for cars with normal geometric shape. Car shape was found to be the main cause of variability in the results. The dummy heads also gave results which were repeatable, and the results compared well with the full scale tests, but their ability to reproduce head injury criterion values is uncertain. The three test series with different lower leg dummies all gave results that were repeatable. However each dummy type gave different results. These results indicate that it is very difficult to derive a test programme procedure using dummies of body components such as the leg from data obtained from full scale tests. Each procedure of this type has to be validated directly against the available biomechanical knowledge.
Samenvatting