Comparison of Belted Hybrid III, THOR, and Cadaver Thoracic Responses in Oblique Frontal and Full Frontal Sled Tests

The objective of this paper is to compare restrained Hybrid III and THOR thoracic kinematics and cadaver injury outcome in 30 degree oblique frontal and in full frontal sled tests. Peak shoulder belt tension, the primary source of chest loading, changed by less than four percent and peak loading, changed by less than four percent and peak chest resultant acceleration changed by less than 10% over the 30 degree range tested. Thoracic kinematics were likewise insensitive to the direction of the collision vector, though they were markedly different between the two dummies. Mid-sternal Hybrid III chest deflection, measured by the standard sternal potentiometer and by supplemental internal string potentiometers, was slightly lower (-10%) in the oblique tests, but the oblique tests produced a negligible increase in lateral movement of the sternum. In an attempt to understand the biofidelity of these dummy responses, a series of 30-km/h human cadaver tests, which have several collision vectors (0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees) were analyzed. The pattern, severity, and nature of the resulting rib fractures in the 15 degree and 30 degree tests were not clearly different than that observed in full frontal tests, supporting the validity of the dummies’ lack of sensitivity to collision direction up to 30 degrees.