A Computational Framework for Human-centric Vehicular Crashworthiness Design and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Government agencies, globally, strive to minimize the likelihood and frequency of human death and severe injury on road transport systems. From an engineering design standpoint, the minimization of these road accident effects on occupants becomes a critical design goal. This necessitates the quantification and management of injury risks on the human body in response to several vehicular impact variables and their associated uncertainties for different crash scenarios. In this paper, we present a decision-based, robust design framework to quantify and manage the impact-based injury risks on occupants for different computational model-based car crash scenarios. The key functionality offered is the designer's capability to conduct robust concept exploration focused on managing the selected impact variables and associated uncertainties, such that injury risks are controlled within acceptable levels. The framework's efficacy is tested for near-side impact scenarios with impact velocity and angle of impact as the critical variables of interest. Two injury criteria, namely, Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Lateral Neck Injury Criteria (Lateral Nij), are selected to quantitatively measure the head and neck injury risks in each crash simulation. Using the framework, a robust design problem is formulated to determine the combination of impact variables that best satisfice the injury goals defined. The framework and associated design constructs are generic and support the formulation and decision-based robust concept exploration of similar problems involving models under uncertainty. Our focus in this paper is on the framework rather than the results per se.

The Management of Penetrating Neck Injury With Retained Knife: 15-Year Experience From a Major Trauma Center in South Africa

Background This study reviews our cumulative experience with the management of patients presenting with a retained knife following a penetrating neck injury (PNI). Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a major trauma center in South Africa over a 15-year period from July 2006 to December 2020. All patients who presented with a retained knife in the neck following a stab wound (SW) were included. Results Twenty-two cases were included: 20 males (91%), mean age: 29 years. 77% (17/22) were retained knives and 23% (5/22) were retained blades. Eighteen (82%) were in the anterior neck, and the remaining 4 cases were in the posterior neck. Plain radiography was performed in 95% (21/22) of cases, and computed tomography (CT) was performed in 91% (20/22). Ninety-five percent (21/22) had the knife or blade extracted in the operating room (OR). Formal neck exploration (FNE) was undertaken in 45% (10/22) of cases, and the remaining 55% (12/22) underwent simple extraction (SE) only. Formal neck exploration was more commonly performed for anterior neck retained knives than the posterior neck, although not statistically significant [56% (10/18) vs 0% (0/18), P = .096]. There were no significant differences in the need for intensive care admission, length of hospital stay, morbidities, or mortalities between anterior and posterior neck retained knives. Discussion Uncontrolled extraction of a retained knife in the neck outside of the operating room may be dangerous. Retained knives in the anterior neck commonly required formal neck exploration but not for posterior neck retained knives.

Transection of the Common Carotid and Vertebral Arteries Following a Penetrating Neck Injury

A case of a 30-year-old man who was admitted following a penetrating neck injury is presented. A clinical examination and operative findings identified semi-comatose mentality, neck muscle laceration, and transection of the left common carotid and vertebral arteries and the internal jugular vein. During the operation, the carotid arteries were repaired by interposition grafting, and the internal jugular vein was ligated. The vertebral artery was managed by interventional embolization. Although the patient had some neurological deficit, he was discharged on postoperative Day 52. This surgical case prompted a discussion regarding neurological outcomes, and surgical and endovascular treatment following vascular neck injury.

Prediction of neck injury using multiple linear regression and bumper damage: Case study for low-speed rear-end collisions

The most frequent type of traffic accident is a low-speed rear-end collision, which can damage parts of the vehicle, including the bumper, and cause neck injury to the occupants. Even in minor damage accidents, such as scratches on bumper covers, 26.3% of occupants received treatment for bodily injuries whose main symptom was neck injuries through auto insurance. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential for neck injuries in low-speed accidents. Fifty-nine low-speed rear-end impact tests were conducted, and the motion of the struck vehicle and the neck injury criterion (NIC) of the occupant according to the test conditions were predicted using multiple linear regression derived via supervised machine learning. It was confirmed that the NIC can be predicted using vehicle motion values that can be obtained through an event data recorder. The coefficients of determination of the regression equations were 0.67–0.83. Lastly, we investigated whether neck injuries can be predicted through bumper cover damage that can be checked immediately after a vehicle accident. In the case of the vehicle damage type 1/2/3 category applied to auto insurance by the Korean government, an occupant would have a very low possibility of neck injury or symptoms. No symptoms or injuries were reported in the volunteer tests conducted for this study.