A Base Study to Investigate MASH Conservativeness of Occupant Risk Evaluation

Author(s):  
Nathan Schulz ◽  
Chiara Silvestri Dobrovolny ◽  
Stefan Hurlebaus ◽  
Harika Reddy Prodduturu ◽  
Dusty R. Arrington ◽  
...  

Abstract The manual for assessing safety hardware (MASH) defines crash tests to assess the impact performance of highway safety features in frontal and oblique impact events. Within MASH, the risk of injury to the occupant is assessed based on a “flail-space” model that estimates the average deceleration that an unrestrained occupant would experience when contacting the vehicle interior in a MASH crash test and uses the parameter as a surrogate for injury risk. MASH occupant risk criteria, however, are considered conservative in their nature, due to the fact that they are based on unrestrained occupant accelerations. Therefore, there is potential for increasing the maximum limits dictated in MASH for occupant risk evaluation. A frontal full-scale vehicle impact was performed with inclusion of an instrumented anthropomorphic test device (ATD). The scope of this study was to investigate the performance of the flail space model (FSM) in a full-scale crash test compared to the instrumented ATD recorded forces which can more accurately predict the occupant response during a collision event. Additionally, a finite element (FE) model was developed and calibrated against the full-scale crash test. The calibrated model can be used to perform parametric simulations with different testing conditions. Results obtained through this research will be considered for better correlation between vehicle accelerations and occupant injury. This becomes extremely important for designing and evaluating barrier systems that must fit within geometrical site constraints, which do not provide adequate length to redirect test vehicles according to MASH conservative evaluation criteria.

Author(s):  
Chiara Silvestri Dobrovolny ◽  
Harika Reddy Prodduturu ◽  
Dusty R. Arrington ◽  
Nathan Schulz ◽  
Stefan Hurlebaus ◽  
...  

The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) defines crash tests to assess the impact performance of highway safety features in frontal and oblique impact events. Within MASH, the risk of injury to the occupant is assessed based on a “flail-space” model that estimates the average deceleration that an unrestrained occupant would experience when contacting the vehicle interior in a MASH crash test and uses the parameter as a surrogate for injury risk. MASH occupant risk criteria, however, are considered conservative in their nature, due to the fact that they are based on unrestrained occupant accelerations. Therefore, there is potential for increasing the maximum limits dictated in MASH for occupant risk evaluation. A frontal full-scale vehicle impact was performed with inclusion of an instrumented anthropomorphic test device (ATD). The scope of this study was to investigate the performance of the Flail Space Model in a full scale crash test compared to the instrumented ATD recorded forces which can more accurately predict the occupant response during a collision event. Results obtained through this research will be considered for better correlation between vehicle accelerations and occupant injury. This becomes extremely important for designing and evaluating barrier systems that must fit within geometrical site constraints, which do not provide adequate length to redirect test vehicles according to MASH conservative evaluation criteria.


Author(s):  
Anand Hammad ◽  
Anil Kalra ◽  
Prashant Khandelwal ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
King H. Yang

Injuries to the upper extremities that are caused by dynamic impacts in crashes, including contact with internal instrument panels, has been a major concern, especially for smaller female occupants, and the problem worsens with increasing age due to reduced strength of the bones. From the analysis of 1988–2010 CDS unweighted data, it was found that risk of AIS ≥ 2 level for the arm was 58.2±20.6 percent higher in females than males, and the injury risk for a 75-year-old female occupant relative to a 21-year-old subjected to a similar physical insult was 4.2 times higher. Although injuries to upper extremities are typically not fatal, they can have long-term effects on overall quality of life. Therefore, it is important to minimize risks of injuries related to upper extremities, especially for elderly females, who are most at risk. Current anthropomorphic surrogates, like crash-test dummies, cannot be directly used to study injury limits, as these dummies were developed mainly to represent the younger population. The current study is focused on the development of a finite element (FE) model representing the upper extremity of an elderly female. This can be further used to analyze the injury mechanisms and tolerance limits for this vulnerable population. The FE mesh was developed through Computer Tomography (CT) scanned images of an elderly female cadaver, and the data included for validation of the developed model were taken from the experimental studies published in scientific literature, but only the data directly representing elderly females were used. It was found that the developed model could predict fractures in the long bones of elderly female specimens and could be further used for analyzing injury tolerances for this population. Further, it was determined that the developed segmental model could be integrated with the whole body FE model of the elderly female.


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnakanth Aekbote ◽  
Srinivasan Sundararajan ◽  
Joseph A. Prater ◽  
Joe E. Abramczyk

Abstract A sled based test method for simulating full-scale EEVC (European) side impact crash test is described in this paper. Both the dummy (Eurosid-1) and vehicle structural responses were simulated, and validated with the full-scale crash tests. The effect of various structural configurations such as foam filled structures, material changes, rocker and b-pillar reinforcements, advanced door design concepts, on vehicle performance can be evaluated using this methodology at the early stages of design. In this approach, an actual EEVC honeycomb barrier and a vehicle body-in-white with doors were used. The under-hood components (engine, transmission, radiator, etc.), tires, and the front/rear suspensions were not included in the vehicle assembly, but they were replaced by lumped masses (by adding weight) in the front and rear of the vehicle, to maintain the overall vehicle weight. The vehicle was mounted on the sled by means of a supporting frame at the front/rear suspension attachments, and was allowed to translate in the impact direction only. At the start of the simulation, an instrumented Eurosid-1 dummy was seated inside the vehicle, while maintaining the same h-point location, chest angle, and door-to-dummy lateral distance, as in a full-scale crash test. The EEVC honeycomb barrier was mounted on another sled, and care was taken to ensure that weight, and the relative impact location to the vehicle, was maintained the same as in full-scale crash test. The Barrier impacted the stationary vehicle at an initial velocity of approx. 30 mph. The MDB and the vehicle were allowed to slide for about 20 inches from contact, before they were brought to rest. Accelerometers were mounted on the door inner sheet metal and b-pillar, rocker, seat cross-members, seats, and non-struck side rocker. The Barrier was instrumented with six load cells to monitor the impact force at different sections, and an accelerometer for deceleration measurement. The dummy, vehicle, and the Barrier responses showed good correlation when compared to full-scale crash tests. The test methodology was also used in assessing the performance/crashworthiness of various sub-system designs of the side structure (A-pillar, B-pillar, door, rocker, seat cross-members, etc.) of a passenger car. This paper concerns itself with the development and validation of the test methodology only, as the study of various side structure designs and evaluations are beyond the scope of this paper.


Author(s):  
Chuck A. Plaxico ◽  
Malcolm H. Ray ◽  
Kamarajugadda Hiranmayee

Several types of strong-post W-beam guardrails are used in the United States. Usually the only difference between one type of strong-post W-beam guardrail and another is the choice of post and block-out types. The impact performance of two very similar strong-post W-beam guardrails are compared—the G4(2W), which uses a 150×200 mm wood post and the G4(1W), which uses a 200×200 mm wood post. Although G4(2W) is used in numerous states, G4(1W) is now common only in the state of Iowa. The performance of the two guardrails has been presumed equal, but only one full-scale crash test has been performed on G4(1W) and that was over 30 years ago, using a now-obsolete test vehicle. The nonlinear finite element analysis program LS-DYNA was used to evaluate the crashworthiness of the two guardrails. The G4(2W) guardrail model was validated with the results of a full-scale crash test. A model of the G4(1W) guardrail system was developed, and the deflection, vehicle redirection, and occupant risk factors of the two guardrails were compared. The impact performance of the two guardrails was quantitatively compared using standard techniques. The analysis results indicate similar collision performance for G4(1W) and G4(2W) and show that both satisfy NCHRP Report 350 Test 3-11 safety performance requirements.


Author(s):  
Michael Carolan ◽  
Benjamin Perlman ◽  
Francisco González

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored a series of full-scale dynamic shell impact tests to railroad tank cars. Currently, there are no required finite element (FE) model validation criteria or procedures in the field of railroad tank car puncture testing and simulation. Within the shell impact testing program sponsored by FRA, comparisons made between test measurements and simulation results have included the overall force-time or force-indentation histories, the puncture/non-puncture outcomes, the rigid body motions of the tank car, the internal pressures within the lading, and the energy absorbed by the tank during the impact. While qualitative comparisons (e.g. the shapes of the indentation) and quantitative comparisons (e.g. peak impact forces) have been made between tests and simulations, there are currently no requirements or guidelines on which specific behaviors should be compared, or what measurable level of agreement would be acceptable demonstration of model validation. It is desirable that a framework for model validation, including well-defined criteria for comparison, be developed or adopted if simulation is to be used without companion shell impact testing for future tank car development. One of the challenges to developing model validation criteria and procedures for tank car shell puncture is the number of complex behaviors encountered in this problem, and the variety of approaches that could be used in simulating these behaviors. The FE models used to simulate tank car shell impacts include several complex behaviors, each of which can introduce uncertainty into the overall response of the model. These behaviors include dynamic impacts, non-linear steel material behavior, including ductile tearing, two-phase (water and air) fluid-structure interaction, and contact between rigid and deformable bodies. Several candidate qualitative and quantitative comparisons of test measurements and simulations results are discussed in this paper. They are applied to two recently-completed shell impact tests of railroad tank cars sponsored by FRA. For each test, companion FE simulation was performed by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. The process of FE model development, including material characterization, is discussed in detail for each FE model. For each test, the test objectives, procedures, and key instrumentation are summarized. For each set of test and simulations, several corresponding results are compared between the test measurements and the simulation results. Additionally, this paper includes discussion of approaches to model validation employed in other industries or areas of transportation where similar modeling aspects have been encountered.


Transport ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-678
Author(s):  
Sen Xiao ◽  
Fuhao Mo ◽  
Jikuang Yang ◽  
Jing Huang ◽  
Zhi Xiao ◽  
...  

While the seatbelt restraint has significantly improved occupant safety, the protection efficiency still needs further enhance to reduce the consequence of the crash. Influence of seatbelt restraint loading on chest injury under 40 km/h has been tested and documented. However, a comprehensive profiling of the efficiency of restraint systems with various impact speeds has not yet been sufficiently reported. The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect of the seatbelt loadings on chest injuries at different impact speeds utilizing a high bio-fidelity human body Finite Element (FE) model. Based on the whole-body frontal sled test configuration, the current simulation is setup using a substitute of Post-Mortem Human Subjects (PMHS). Chest injury outcomes from simulations are analysed in terms of design variables, such as seatbelt position parameters and collision speed in a full factorial experimental design. These outcomes are specifically referred to strain-based injury probabilities and four-point chest deflections caused by the change of the parameters. The results indicate that impact speed does influence chest injury outcome. The ribcage injury risk for more than 3 fractured ribs will increase from around 40 to nearly 100% when the impact speed change from 20 to 40 km/h if the seatbelt positioned at the middle-sternum of this study. Great injuries to the chest are mainly caused by the change of inertia, which indicates that chest injuries are greatly affected by the impact speed. Furthermore, the rib fracture risk and chest deflection are nonlinearly correlated with the change of the seatbelt position parameters. The study approach can serve as a reference for seatbelt virtual design. Meanwhile, it also provides basis for the research of chest injury mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Kyoungju Kim ◽  
Hyunung Bae ◽  
Jongmin Kim

Transition is a type of barrier that connects other barriers with different grades and shapes. Even if each barrier satisfies the performance, it may not be satisfied in transition. Therefore, collision safety requires a special design and examination. In this study, we investigated national and foreign standards and situations for the proper configuration of the transition and analyzed the impact behavior of the general transition using impact simulations. We developed a transition system that could ensure the stable performance of various grades by analyzing the behavior and confirmed based on the full-scale crash test (SB2 level).


Author(s):  
Jennifer D. Schmidt ◽  
John D. Reid ◽  
Nicholas A. Weiland ◽  
Ronald K. Faller

The recommended minimum length for the standard Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) is 175 ft (55.3 m) based on crash testing according to NCHRP Report 350 and AASHTO's Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) specifications. However, varying roadside hazards and roadway geometries may require a W-beam guardrail system to be shorter than the currently tested minimum length. The effects of reducing system length for the MGS were therefore investigated. The research study included one full-scale crash test with a Dodge Ram pickup truck striking a 75-ft (22.9-m) long MGS system. The barrier system satisfied all MASH Test Level 3 (TL-3) evaluation criteria for Test Designation Number 3-11. Test results confirmed that the reduced system length did not adversely affect overall system performance or deflections. Simulations that used BARRIER VII and LS-DYNA were also conducted to analyze system performance with reduced lengths of 50 ft (15.2 m) and 62 ft 6 in. (19.1 m). Both system lengths exhibited the potential for successfully redirecting an errant vehicle at MASH TL-3 test conditions. However, these reduced-length systems would have a narrow window for redirecting vehicles and would be able to shield hazards of only a limited size. Owing to limitations associated with the computer simulations, full-scale crash testing is recommended before these shorter systems are installed.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Barbani ◽  
Niccolò Baldanzini ◽  
Marco Pierini

Author(s):  
Jin Sung Kim ◽  
Hyun Seung Jung ◽  
Tae Soo Kwon ◽  
Won Mok Choi ◽  
Seung Wan Son

KRRI (Korea Railroad Research Institute) has successfully performed several tens of impact tests of crash parts for a railway vehicles. Full-scale crash testing facilities were newly established including a crash barrier, dynamic load cell, high speed DAS (Data Acquisition System), a laser displacement sensor, dummies, a motor car and etc. This paper introduces series of impact test results using full-scale crash testing facilities. The impact test for railway vehicles consists of three categories, i.e. single item tests, module tests and crash structure tests. For single item tests, expansion tubes, composite tubes, collapsible tubes and etc. were tested. For module tests, a crash test of a light collision safety device with an expansion tube and triggering mechanism was performed. For crash structure tests, several full-scale crash tests were performed including front-end and cab structures with or without dummies. The crash testing equipment developed will be able to evaluate the occupant safety as well as the structural crashworthiness of a train.


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