Performance of a Shoulder Belt and Knee Restraint in Barrier Crash Simulations

Simulated frontal barrier crash experiments were conducted with unembalmed human cadavers and an anthropomorphic dummy restrained by a two-point shoulder belt. In the first test, an experimental bolster was specifically positioned so that the cadaver's lower leg would strike the bolster, thus inducing restraining loads entirely below the knee joint. The analysis of occupant kinematics showed that the flexed knee rode over and forward of the low-positioned bolster. Restraint induced considerable shearing load across the knee joint. Factors influencing the performance of a shoulder belt and knee restraint system were studied in the remaining experiments. Positioning the bolster to provide full knee contact and early femoral loading, and orienting the bolster face to reduce knee joint shear loads were identified as important parameters for improved performance of the knee restraint in these tests. Language: en