Samenvatting
In this study a new mechanical neck was developed for a new dummy possessing a complete articulated spine, for low speed rear-end collisions. The new neck consists of seven cervical elements connected by hinge joints. The neck stiffness properties were created by rubber blocks between each pair of vertebrae in combination with simulated muscle elements between the head and T1. The neck was validated against volunteer tests (velocity change (delta V) of 7 km/h) results. Both displacement and acceleration of the head relative to the upper torso for both duration and peak values, were in agreement with the volunteer data. (A)