Rear Seat Restraint System Optimization for Older Children in Frontal Crashes

With the rapid development of car crash sensing and identification technology, the application of pre-triggering airbag system is becoming an important option to improve vehicle safety. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the injury protection ability of pre-triggering airbag system and optimize its performance in frontal crashes regarding the key physical parameters. A driver restraint system model established and validated by National Crash Analysis Center was employed and validated for studying the injury protection ability of pre-triggering airbag system. Then, the influences of airbag triggering time, airbag volume scaling factor, inflator mass flow, and exhaust orifice size of pre-triggering airbag system on driver’s head and chest injuries were analyzed. Finally, the weighted injury criterion was selected as the evaluation index to optimize the pre-triggering airbag system. The results show the pre-triggering airbag should be designed with a larger airbag volume and inflator mass flow rate and smaller exhaust orifice. The optimized restraint system design presents a reduction of weighted injury criterion values in 100% and 40% overlapped frontal impacts reaching 25.63% and 42.23%, respectively.

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Research on the Safety of Rear Seat Occupants in the Frontal Collision

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.569.795 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 569 ◽

pp. 795-799

Author(s):

Liang Hong ◽

Yun Teng Wu

Keyword(s):

Simulation Model ◽

Rear Seat ◽

Performance Criterion ◽

Restraint System ◽

Vehicle Model ◽

Occupant Restraint System ◽

Head Injury Criterion ◽

Frontal Collision ◽

Seat Cushion ◽

Left And Right

To study the injury values rear seat occupants sustain in the frontal collision, this paper constructed the simulation model of the rear occupant restraint system of a vehicle model using MADYMO software. The influence of the rear 3-point seatbelt stiffness and retractor locking feature, the rear seat cushion stiffness and angle with the vehicle floor on head injury criterion HIC36, thorax 3ms resultant acceleration T3MS, thorax performance criterion THPC, left and right femur force of rear occupants were analysed through the simulation model. The conclusion shows that HIC36 drops when the seatbelt stiffness increases and retractor locking feature decreases compared to the original values; HIC36, T3MS, left and right femur force become less when the seat cushion stiffness decreases and angle increases compared to the original values.

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Influence of Vehicle Restraint System Design on the Kinematics and Neck Forces of a Rear Seat Small Occupant

ASME 2011 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/sbc2011-53779 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Donald S. Burke ◽

Martha W. Bidez ◽

Kathryn M. Mergl

Keyword(s):

Traffic Safety ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Seat Belt ◽

The United States ◽

Rear Seat ◽

Older Children ◽

Highway Traffic ◽

Motor Vehicle Collisions ◽

National Highway Traffic Safety ◽

Vehicle Collisions

In 2008, motor vehicle collisions resulted in 968 child occupant fatalities and 193,000 seriously injured children, ages 14 years old and younger, according to the most recent data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [1]. In fact, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for all children ages 3 to 14 years old living in the United States [1]. As children grow older they require size-appropriate restraint types to fit their body at each developmental level. For older children, booster seats are not a total solution for child safety as they are often dependent on the design of the vehicle seat belt system (2). Additionally, there is no federal standard that requires vehicle manufacturers to dynamically test the performance of child seats of any type in their vehicles.

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Factors contributing to serious and fatal injuries in belted rear seat occupants in frontal crashes

Traffic Injury Prevention ◽

10.1080/15389588.2019.1601182 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (sup1) ◽

pp. S84-S91 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jessica Jermakian ◽

Marcy Edwards ◽

Seth Fein ◽

Matthew R. Maltese

Keyword(s):

Rear Seat ◽

Frontal Crashes ◽

Fatal Injuries

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Investigation of Heavy Truck Restraint System Effectiveness Through Finite Element Computer Simulations in Frontal Crashes

Volume 12: Transportation Systems ◽

10.1115/imece2016-67356 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Nathan Schulz ◽

Chiara Silvestri Dobrovolny ◽

Abhinav Mohanakrishnan

Keyword(s):

Finite Element ◽

Injury Severity ◽

Seat Belt ◽

Restraint System ◽

Rigid Barrier ◽

Heavy Trucks ◽

Ring Location ◽

Heavy Truck ◽

Frontal Crashes ◽

Occupant Kinematics

Computer finite element simulations play an important role in reducing the cost and time taken for prediction of a crash scenario. While interior crash protection has received adequate attention for automobiles, very little is known for commercial vehicle such as heavy trucks. The understanding of injury types for heavy trucks occupants in relation to different crash scenarios would help mitigation of the injury severity. Finite element computer models of the heavy truck cabin structure, interior cabin components, anthropomorphic test device (ATD) (also called dummy) and passive restraint systems were developed and assembled to simulate head-on crash of a heavy truck into a rigid barrier. The researchers developed a computer simulation parametric evaluation with respect to specific seat belt restraint system parameters for a speed impact of 56.3 km/h (35 mph). Restraint parameter variations within this research study are seat belt load limiting characteristics, inclusion of seat belt pretensioner, and variation of seat belt D-ring location. Additionally an airbag was included to investigate another restraint system. For each simulated impact characteristic and restraint system variation, the occupant kinematics were observed and occupant risks were assessed. Within the approximations and assumptions included in this study, the results presented in this paper should be considered as preliminary guidance on the effectiveness of the use of seat belt as occupant injury mitigation system.

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Model Development and Robust Optimal Design of Occupant Restraint System

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.538-541.2794 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 538-541 ◽

pp. 2794-2797

Author(s):

Jun Wu ◽

Li Bo Cao ◽

Rui Feng Zhang ◽

Jing Wen Hu

Keyword(s):

Design Method ◽

Model Development ◽

System Optimization ◽

System Model ◽

Restraint System ◽

Occupant Restraint System ◽

Drop Tests ◽

Two Parameters ◽

Robust Design Method ◽

Crash Tests

In this study, an occupant restraint system model of a production SUV developed in MADYMO software was used for crash simulations. Component tests were conducted to obtain the parameters of seatbelt and seat. Parameters of airbag were obtained by tank tests and the airbag model was validated by headform drop tests. The occupant restraint system model was validated against results from real vehicle crash tests. Robust design method was adopted for sensitivity analysis and system optimization. Two parameters, spool effect of the seatbelt and mass flow of the airbag, were studied to improve the occupant protection. Better protection performance has been obtained using optimized parameters, and the robustness of the optimized result was proved by robustness assessment.

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