Head and neck modelling

Realistic simulation of the neck response in a dummy or a mathematical model is of vital importance to obtain a humanlike dynamical behavior of the head. Trajectories of the head and the nature of head contact with vehicle interior or exterior are critically dependent on the dummy's neck design. In this study dynamical tests with human volunteers conducted by the naval biodynamics laboratory (nbdl) in new orleans are analysed. These subjects were exposed to impacts in frontal, lateral and oblique direction. Results of this analysis are presented. It follows that the observed head neck motions in these types of impacts can be represented quite well by a simple linkage mechanism with two joints. Mathematical simulations for this linkage mechanism were conducted using the crash victim simulation program madymo, in order to verify the proposed system. Results of these simulations are presented and it is shown that this analogue is adequate for the types of test conditions involved. Evaluation of the part 572 and hybrid iii mechanical head neck systems in frontal impacts shows that both necks are much stiffer than the human volunteers for the impact ranges to which the volunteers were exposed (a).