Browse Topic: Occupant protection

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From Physical Prototypes to Virtual Simulations: Advancing Automotive Latch Validation with nanoFluidX2026-26-04751/16/2026
Automotive door latches play a crucial role in occupant safety and user experience. The mechanisms utilized as latching systems in automotive doors are designed to hold the doors in a closed position relative to the body of a vehicle and can be grouped into three major categories: hood/frunk latches, lift gate latches, and side door latches. These mechanical systems vary in design across vehicle models, but all must withstand harsh environmental conditions, including water intrusion. Therefore, their requirements and validations include rigorous testing that verifies the continued functionality of the device after being subjected to extreme environmental conditions, such as cold, heat, humidity. The increase in global temperatures has led to more extreme precipitation patterns globally along with shifting climate dynamics that cause traditionally cold regions to experience milder winters. Rainfall in winter months leads to ice storms where water freezes instantly upon contact with cold
Chaudhari, Abhijit, Srikanth, Praveen, Takabi, Behrouz, Calamaco, Eli, Estrada, Ignacio, Huerta Rodriguez, Sergio
Beyond ATD Dummies-Investigating Pelvic Locking and Torso Kinematics Using Human Body Models in Frontal Impact Scenarios2026-26-00021/16/2026
Occupant Safety systems are usually developed using anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), such as the Hybrid III, THOR-50M, ES-2, and WorldSID. However, in compliance with NCAP and regulatory guidelines, these ATDs are designed for specific crash scenarios, typically frontal and side impacts involving upright occupants. As vehicles evolve (e.g., autonomous layouts, diverse occupant populations), ATDs are proving increasingly inadequate for capturing real-world injury mechanisms. This has led to the adoption of computational Human Body Models (HBMs), such as the Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) and Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS), which offer superior anatomical fidelity, variable anthropometry, active muscle behaviour modelling, and improved postural flexibility. HBMs can predict internal injuries that ATDs cannot, making them valuable tools for future vehicle safety development. This study uses a sled CAE simulation environment to analyze the kinematics of the HBMs
Raj, Pavan, Rao, Guruprakash, Pendurthi, Chaitanya Sagar, Nehe, Vaibhav, Chavan, Avinash
Enhancing EV Battery Safety: Progressive Crushing and Energy Absorption Techniques2026-26-01891/16/2026
• The paper presents and provides a crash energy absorption assembly and method for enhancing the safety and structural integrity of battery packs in electric vehicles during collision events adhering to global regulations. • One of our novel analyses is described here, in which the assembly comprises a battery housing designed to mount one or more battery cells, at least one crash member coupled to the side surface of the battery housing, flexural members coupled to the crash member. The flexural members are designed to absorb impact forces, deform, and store potential energy during sudden impacts. This innovative approach ensures that the energy is stored within the flexural elements rather than being transferred to the battery cells, thereby reducing almost cell intrusion for example by 50% under a 100kN which is EC100R requirement. The design effectively delays intrusion, enhances battery safety and minimizes cell-level damage. • Also, the strategic placement of flexural members
Amberkar S, Sunil, Lakshman singh, Meenakumari, Bodaindala, Anil
Adaptive Restraints for Equitable protection.2026-26-00151/16/2026
Real-world crashes involve diverse occupants, but traditional restraint systems are designed for a limited range of body types considering the applicable regulations and protocols. While conventional restraints are effective for homogeneous occupant profiles, these systems often underperform in real-world scenarios with diverse demographics, including variations in age, gender, and body morphology. This study addresses this critical gap by evaluating adaptive restraint systems aligned with the forthcoming EURO NCAP 2026 protocols, which emphasize real-world crash diversity and occupant inclusivity. Through digital studies of frontal impact scenarios, we analyse biomechanical responses using adaptive restraints across varied occupant demographics, focusing on head and chest injury (e.g., Head Injury Criterion [HIC] and Chest Compression Criterion [CC]). This study used a Design of Experiments (DOE) approach to optimize occupant protection by timing the activation of these adaptive
satija, Anshul, Suryawanshi, Yuvraj, Chavan, Avinash, Rao, Guruprakash
Safer Trucks for India-Smart Tech Fusion2026-26-00311/16/2026
Commercial vehicle sector (especially trucks) has major role in economic growth of a nation. With improving infrastructure, increasing number of trucks on roads, accidents are also increasing. As per RASSI (Road Accident Sampling System India) FY2016-21 database, commercial vehicles are involved in 43% of total accidents on Indian roads. Involvement of trucks (N2 & N3) is 25% over total accidents. Amongst all accident scenarios of N2 &N3, frontal impacts are the most frequent (26%) and causing severe occupant injuries. Today, truck safety development for frontal impact is based on passive safety regulations (viz. front pendulum - AIS029) and basic safety features like seatbelts. In any truck accident, it is challenging rather impossible to manage comprehensive safety only with passive safety systems due to size and weight. Accident prevention becomes imperative in truck safety development due to extremely high energy involved in front impact scenarios. The paper presents unique safety
Joshi, Kedar Shrikant, GADEKAR, GANESH, Date, Atul, Koralla, Sivaprasad
Multi-Material Front Structures: A Pathway to Safer and More Sustainable Vehicle Design2026-26-04561/16/2026
Frontal crash structures play a vital role in occupant safety, but traditional designs often involve a trade-off between structural strength and weight efficiency. In the pursuit of safer and more sustainable mobility, this study explores a physics-based methodology that leverages the principle of dynamic equilibrium to guide the integration of dissimilar materials in front-end vehicle structures. Specifically, we examine a novel configuration wherein aluminum High pressure die cast (HPDC) is introduced in swan neck region of the front longitudinal member, while retaining steel in the frontal crush zone. This arrangement aims to redistribute crash loads and control deformation mechanisms, enabling improved energy absorption without compromising structural integrity. To evaluate the proposed strategy, a series of detailed finite element simulations were conducted using LS-DYNA, a widely adopted tool for vehicle crash analysis. The results reveal that the dynamic equilibrium approach
Revanth, Goshika, Bhagat, Milind, Joshi, Vikas, Mankhair, Abhijit, Sudarshan, B.Sudarshan, Kollipara, Jahanavi
Rear-Facing Infant Seat Structural Integrity and Crashworthiness Under Front Seatback Loading in Rear-Impact Collisions2026-26-05541/16/2026
Rear-facing infant seats positioned behind front outboard vehicle seats are vulnerable to loading from rearward-yielding front seatbacks during rear-impact collisions in the presence of front occupants. This seatback loading can collapse and deform the infant seat’s plastic shell, increasing the risk of head injuries to the infant occupant. Shell deformation also introduces slack into the five-point harness system, exacerbating head excursions beyond the protective boundaries of the shell and increasing the likelihood of head contact with components such as the carry handle. Current rear-facing infant seat designs typically do not account for loading imposed by the front seatback during rear-impact scenarios, resulting in weak and collapsible shell structures. Furthermore, regulatory compliance tests, such as FMVSS 213, lack provisions for evaluating rear-facing infant seats under realistic rear-impact conditions. The standard test bench does not incorporate simulated vehicle interiors
Thorbole, Chandrashekhar
GEOMETRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CURTAIN AIRBAG COVERAGE IN INDIAN PASSENGER VEHICLES2026-26-00211/16/2026
Worldwide accident statistics for passenger vehicles indicate that the number of pole side impacts usually constitute a small percentage of total accident numbers. However, the rate of fatalities in narrow object side impacts is usually the highest due to direct exposure of head with the pole/narrow objects. Curtain airbags are the most effective protective systems to prevent severe/fatal head injuries in side collisions with narrow objects such as poles or trees. One of the important parameter of curtain airbags is the inflated zone of the airbag, which decides the possibility of head exposure for occupants with different anthropometries with narrow objects. To address this issue, EuroNCAP first introduced the concept of Head Protection Device Assessment (HPDA) in 2015, which in addition to the performance requirements in dynamic test, assesses the deployed curtain airbag for its area coverage and inflated zones for various anthropometries over occupant rows. With introduction of
Jaju, Divyan, Kulkarni, Dileep, Mahajan, Rahul
Integrated Evaluation of Pre-Crash Braking and Crash Injury Outcomes Using Human Body Models and ATDs2026-26-00191/16/2026
Traditionally, vehicle occupant safety research has focused on passive safety aspects like crashworthiness and occupant restraint systems. However, with the advent of Active Safety technologies such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), research has expanded to include occupant kinematics during the pre-crash phase. AEB, by inducing occupant movement, often leads to out-of-position (OOP) behavior, compromising available space during the crash phase. Current Anthropometric Test Devices (ATDs) are limited in simulating occupant kinematics during the pre-crash phase, especially in the neck and torso regions. These devices are rigid and unable to replicate human body dynamics during low-acceleration events like AEB. To address this gap, Human Body Models (HBMs) such as THUMS, GHBMC, and SAFER are used to provide more biofidelic simulations. This study begins with physical vehicle trials conducted with human volunteers at various speeds to measure
Pendurthi, Chaitanya Sagar, THANIGAIVEL RAJA, T, Kondala, Hareesh, Sudarshan, B.Sudarshan, Nehe, Vaibhav, Rao, Guruprakash
Q-Series Child Dummy FE model development and validation for child occupant safety assessment in Automotive crashes2026-26-03901/16/2026
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India has established BHARAT NCAP to provide a fair, meaningful, and objective assessment of the crash safety performance of cars. This program evaluates vehicles across three key areas, including Child Occupant Protection (COP). A critical component of the COP assessment involves dynamic testing using Q-series child dummies representing a 1½-year-old (Q1.5) and a 3-year-old child (Q3). As per the BHARAT NCAP protocol these dummies are placed in the second-row outboard seating position within Child Restraint Systems (CRSs) and subjected to two primary dynamic impact tests: Offset Deformable Barrier (ODB) conducted at speed of 64 km/hr. and Mobile Deformable Barrier (MDB) Side Impact tests conducted at 50 km/hr. The dynamic assessment of these child dummies is primarily focused on the head, neck, and chest regions to evaluate the effectiveness of the CRSs and overall vehicle safety system in protecting young occupants
Khopekar, Maria, Lakshminarayana, Apoorva, Mohan, Pradeep, Kurkuri, Mahendra
Achieving Robust Sensing Performance for Six-Airbag Systems: Design Approaches and Validation Techniques for Side Sensing2026-26-00301/16/2026
The introduction of GSR 16(E) in India mandates six airbags in passenger vehicles, aiming to enhance occupant safety. In parallel, the new Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) outlines performance protocols that demand robust airbag deployment strategies to achieve a five-star safety rating. One of the critical challenges in meeting both regulatory and consumer safety expectations is the optimal packaging of the airbag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and its associated impact sensors. These must perform reliably across regulatory tests, BNCAP protocols, and real-world accident scenarios. The location of side acceleration ‘g’ side impact sensors—whether mounted on the side sill, B-pillar, C-pillar, or door structures—is pivotal to achieving consistent and timely airbag deployment. These sensors must also demonstrate immunity to false triggers or missed events in both static and dynamic misuse and abuse conditions. Ensuring robust sensor performance under these varied conditions is
Kudale, Shailesh, Rao, Guruprakash, wayal, Virendra, Goswami, Tarun
Crash Pulse Characterization for the Passenger Vehicle Fleet in India.2026-26-00291/16/2026
A crash pulse is the signature of the deceleration experienced by a vehicle and its occupants during a crash. The deceleration-time plot or crash pulse provides key insights into occupant kinematics, occupant restraints, occupant loading and efficiency of the structure in crash energy dissipation. Analysing crash pulse characteristics like shape, slope, maximum deceleration, and duration helps in understanding the impact of the crash on occupant safety and vehicle crashworthiness. This paper represents the crash pulse characterization study done for the vehicles tested at ARAI as per the ODB64 test protocol. Firstly, the classification and characterization of the crash pulses is done on the basis of the unladen masses of the vehicles. The same are further analysed for suitability of mathematical waveform models such as Equivalent Square Wave (ESW), Equivalent Triangular Wave (ETW), Equivalent Sine Wave (ESW), Equivalent Haversine Wave (EHSW) as well as EDTW (Equivalent dual trapezia
Jaju, Divyan, Mishra, Satish, Kulkarni, Dileep, Borse, Tanmay, Mahindrakar, Rahula Ashok, Mahajan, Rahul
Material Optimization in console armrest to comply occupant safety in crash test2026-26-00071/16/2026
Indian passenger vehicles sales touched an all-time high in FY25.Today’s customer expects high level of aesthetics, safety and connected features in the vehicle Interiors. This has created more diverse and demanding customer base that values interior design and quality. This has led OEMs to offer modern Indian mass car interiors with features like big infotainment system, Console Armrest…etc. The vehicle console armrest assembly is an integral part of a car's interior, designed to enhance comfort, ergonomics, and functionality for the driver and passengers. The console armrest is a complex assembly of many child parts like Armrest cushion/ sliding mechanism/ latch, locking mechanism/ hinge mechanism and storage compartment etc., Console hard plastic parts are the primary source of injuries when occupants interact with them in the event of an accident. Poorly designed armrests can contribute to flyoff of child parts in the event crash and can cause injuries to occupant. Therefore
A D, BALAMURUGA, BADDAM, SATHISH, MANGAL, GAUTAM, SINGH, DEEPAK, Shekhar, Ravi, Singh, Amit
Impact of Harness Integrated Crash RestraintsF-0081-2025-02705/20/2025
The Crashworthy and Escape Systems Branch at NAWCAD has been developing an integrated restraint harness concept for several years, with the intent of developing a novel method of providing improved occupant protection in a crash scenario. A series of tests was conducted on the Horizontal Accelerator at NAS Patuxent River to evaluate the performance of the prototype integrated-restraint system under MIL-STD-58095 conditions with the 50th percentile male Hybrid III Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD). While occupant flail was the primary metric being analyzed in this effort, ATD instrumentation was also captured, showing that the integrated restraint system demonstrated a significant reduction in head flail compared to five-point restraints while maintaining injury criteria within acceptable levels.
Anderson, Eric, Minnich, Shannon
REDUCED ORDER MODELLING METHOD (ROMM) FOR GROUND VEHICLE ROLLOVER PROTECTION M&S2024-01-390311/15/2024
ABSTRACT The performance of ground vehicles during a rollover event is an important safety and occupant protection requirement for military vehicles. Modeling and simulation is a very useful tool in study and investigation of vehicle rollover characteristics and countermeasure concepts. This study presents two methods of simulating the rollover events. The first one uses Full System Method (FSM), where all the components are modelled as is and are evaluated. The second method is a reduced order modelling method (ROMM) using integration of the resulted kinematics data from FSM into the vehicle model with occupant & restraints. The FSM & ROMM methods were applied to simulate two HMMMV rollover events, and the results from both methods show that simulation and test data agreed fairly well. Computational time reduced by the ROMM was about 53% of that of the FSM. ROMM approach not only saves significant computational time but also increases robustness of the simulation. Citation: V. Babu, J
Babu, V., Kang, J., Kankanalapalli, S., Sheng, J., Vunnam, M., Karwaczynski, S. K., Jessup, C., Duncan, M., Paulson, K.
Full-scale Crash Test of the AW609 WingF-0080-2024-12225/7/2024
The AW609 tiltrotor features a unique high-mounted wing with rotatable nacelles positioned at the wing tips, it is capable of operating both in airplane and vertical flight mode. To achieve suited protection of the occupants during emergency landing, the wing - which is particularly stiff in order to sustain the heavy weights at the tips, where rotors, engines and transmissions are positioned - implements a controlled failure mechanism at root, so that during emergency landings it breaks and unloads the fuselage of the weight of wingbox and nacelles, thus avoiding catastrophic collapse. As the effectiveness of such mechanism was never demonstrated under impact conditions, certification agencies requested an empirical validation through experimental testing. The test was carried out July 2022 at Polytechnic of Milan, Italy; the present work details the Test activity, from its preliminary phases to the Test Day, to the analyses of its outcomes.
Colamartino, Ivan, Cavalera, Davide, Turconi, Fabrizio, Anghileri, Marco, Di Renzo, Andrea
Importance of Pole Side Impact Test for Assessment of Curtain Airbags2024-26-00191/16/2024
Government of India, in 2017, mandated a Side Impact Test (AIS 099 technically aligned to UN ECE Regulation No. 95.03 series of amendments) on M1 category Passenger Vehicles to ensure protection of occupants in lateral impact accident scenarios. Later, in 2022, a draft notification has been issued by the Government mandating installation of 6 airbags (2 No.of thorax side airbags, 2 No. of head protection or curtain airbags in addition to already mandated installation of Driver and Passenger Airbags) in all such passenger vehicles. However, the vehicles fitted with side thorax airbag and curtain airbags are proposed to be assessed as per AIS099 test only. Curtain Airbags are typically installed to protect occupant’s head from severe injuries in narrow object impacts simulated in Pole Side Impact Test Configurations. However, at present, India has not notified an equivalent standard to UN R135 demanding performance of the vehicle in pole side impact scenarios. Typically, OEMs may need to
Jaju, Divyan, Kulkarni, Dileep, Mahindrakar, Rahul, Mahajan, Rahul
Occupant Injury Severity Prediction in Road Traffic Accidents using Machine Learning Techniques2024-26-00111/16/2024
Over years, automotive industry has made a significant progress in improving passenger car safety systems to reduce occupant injuries and fatalities due to road accidents. To further enhance the vehicle safety, it is very important to have a deeper understanding on real world accidents and true safety benefits associated with various safety systems. This requires a framework to understand the effectiveness of safety systems towards reduction in occupant injury and fatalities. This study focusses on utilizing machine learning techniques to predict occupant injury severity by considering accident parameters and safety systems, using the Road Accident Sampling System - India (RASSI) real world accident data. The RASSI database contains comprehensive accident data, including various factors that contributes for occupant injury. The study focused on fifteen accident parameters that represent key aspects of crash scenarios such as vehicle type, accident type, vehicle speed, and occupant
G, Santhosh Kumar, Khatavkar, Akshay, Sahu, Dilip, Koralla, Sivaprasad, Kulkarni, Prasad
Novel Method for Vehicle Crash Pulse prediction2024-26-00021/16/2024
Airbags are crucial elements of passive safety in vehicles that help minimizing occupant injuries during various crash scenarios such as frontal, side, and oblique impacts. Airbags in cars are now mandatory in many countries, and their performance depends on how well the system is designed. A well-tuned airbag deployment algorithm is necessary to score superior NCAP safety ratings. Tuning of airbag deployment algorithms requires several data points which are obtained through actual crash testing. This is a cumbersome and expensive process as it involves crash tests for each scenario (e.g., full front barrier, offset deformable barrier, angled impact, etc.) at multiple test speeds. These tests are destructive and render the vehicles only worthy of scrap. The data gathered from various sensors (acceleration, pressure, etc.) is used to develop robust vehicle model specific algorithms that must correctly identify the crash scenario and send airbag firing signal at the optimal pre-decided
Kumar, Ayush
A Methodology of optimizing steering geometry for minimizing steering errors2024-26-00621/16/2024
The focus on driver and occupant safety as well as comfort is increasing rapidly while designing commercial vehicles in India. Improved network of highways led to enhanced road transportation through commercial vehicles. Apart from cost of operation and fuel economy, the commercial vehicles must deliver goods within stipulated time. These factors resulted in higher speed of operation for commercial vehicles. The design should not compromise the safety of the vehicle at these higher speeds of operation. The vehicle should obey the driver’s intended direction at all speeds and the response of the vehicle to driver input must be predictable without much larger surprises which can lead to accidents. The commercial vehicles are designed with rigid axle and pitman arm-draglink kind of steering system. This suspension and steering design combination introduce steering errors when vehicle travel over bump, braked and while cornering. The errors are well known as bump steer, brake steer and
SAHARE, VRUSHABH UMESH, Vichare, Chaitanya, Patil, Sudhir, PATIL, GANESH
PERFORMANCE OF FIVE-POINT SEAT BELT ON OCCUPANT SAFETY IN VEHICLE ON FRONTAL CRASH TEST2022-28-049311/18/2022
In day-to-day life, accidents do occur frequently all-round the globe. It is difficult to prevent these accidents as they occur due to different reasons, which cannot be easily controlled. But the fatal injuries occurring to passengers can be reduced by installing safety systems in vehicles, which will help in saving the life of mankind. There are many safety systems being installed in vehicles such as seat belt restraints, air bags etc. Generally, three-point seat belts are installed in passenger vehicles for safety purposes. This type of seat belt doesn't arrest the entire motion of the occupant body during vehicle crashes, which can lead to fatal injuries and sometimes even death during vehicle crashes. In order to buckle passengers with seats, we can use five-point seat belts which will help in mitigating the injuries as compared to three-point seat belts. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of five-point seat belts on occupant safety during vehicle crash on flat rigid
Jeyakumar, P, CHANDRAN, DINESHKUMAR
Application of a Digital Twin Virtual Engineering Tool for Ground Vehicle Maintenance Forecasting2022-01-04343/29/2022
The integration of sensors, actuators and real time control in transportation systems enables intelligent system operation to minimize energy consumption and maximize occupant safety and vehicle reliability. The operating cycle of military ground vehicles can be on- and off-road in adverse environments which places a demand on continuous subsystem functionality to fulfill missions. On–board diagnostic systems can alert the operator of degraded operation once established fault thresholds are passed. An opportunity exists to estimate vehicle maintenance needs using model-based predicted trends and compiled information from fleet operating databases. A digital twin, created to virtually describe the dynamic behavior of a physical system using computer mathematical models, can estimate the system behavior based on current and future operating scenarios while accounting for past operating effects. In this manner, the collection of real time data of the physical vehicle can be constantly
Eddy, Conner, WAGNER, Adam, Wagner, JOHN, Castanier, Matthew
A Study of High Refinement Simulation Prediction on the CAB Development for FMVSS226 Ejection Mitigation Performance2022-01-09223/29/2022
In the side impact crash accident, the curtain airbag (CAB) plays a significant role in the occupant head protection. With the increasing of the rollover accidents, the CAB development is requested to be able to protect the occupant head throughout the whole rollover accident, and to ensure that the occupant head is not partially or totally ejected from the vehicle. NHTSA released the FMVSS226 Standard in 2011, defined the requirements for ejection mitigation systems, which limits the linear travel of headform by 100mm. In China regulations, there are similar requirements starting in 2021. The difference is that it can be replaced by meeting the pressure holding requirements of 6s (up to 50% of the average pressure of 40-70ms). Therefore, on the basis of the existing airbag design, adding the rollover protection function becomes a new challenge for the airbag development. During the development of the curtain airbag, the cushion design, inflator type, and the fold pattern, all have an
Shan, Jinhui, Xue, Lele, Wang, Cheng
Reconstruction of an auto-rickshaw frontal crash using FE simulation with validation using captured crash video from India2021-28-025710/1/2021
The three wheeled “Auto-Rickshaws” [Auto] plays a significant role in road transportation, especially in India. The crash safety and reconstruction studies have been widely used in four wheelers, whereas the availability of such data for Auto was found to be limited. In recent times, accident data processing from available videos is being utilised to observe the crash scenario, from which the crash parameters can be given as inputs to the crash analysis. This paper focusses on process the real-world accident data and study crash characteristics. With limitation in availability of detailed injuries post-crash, the study was restricted to reconstruction of crash kinematics and estimations of indicative injuries to driver. The source of video data is videos of crash available in public domains like YouTube. PYTHON video processing tool has been used to process the set of real-world accident video data. The object detection, Pixel per meter computation and object tracking are the major
S, Ragul, Sankarasubramanian, Hariharan, Kondaveeti, N S V Nikas, Yadav, Pandugayala Nithin
testing tasks 2 jms test citSAE-PP-004629/28/2021
2 go
SintzADMIN, Jeneane, SintzUSER, Jeneane
Seat Design Parameters and Its Influence on Performance Metrics of FMVSS 202a Back Set Retention Test2021-01-09274/6/2021
Automotive Seat design is driven by various design factors considering occupant safety, occupant comfort, road visibility etc. Seats are generally a combination of structural frames, foams, suspension wires, adjustment mechanisms etc. to support safety, comfort & road visibility. Most of the regulatory tests on seats are related to safety which demands structural integrity of seat frames, welds and bolts etc. And few tests demand occupant comfort and seat functionality involving foams, suspension wires & adjustment mechanisms. There are few tests which needs design consideration on all seat components discussed above. FMVSS 202a Back Set Retention is one among them. It is a static test with multiple loads in sequence of loading and unloading steps on the seat back and head restraint. Stiffness of the foams, lumbar mats, seat adjustment mechanisms, seat frames contribute a lot to meet performance targets set by the regulation. This technical paper discusses various design factors, their
Purnoo Munuswamy, Ravi, ThamnampudiI, Ramasubba Reddy, Shanmugam, Seenuvasan, Muthupandian, Arunachalam, Holur, Prabhu
Effect of ATD Size, Vehicle Interior and Restraint Misuse on Second-Row Occupant Kinematics in Frontal Sled Tests2021-01-09144/6/2021
Interest in rear-seat occupant safety has increased in recent years. Information relevant to rear-seat occupant interior space and kinematics are needed to evaluate injury risks in real-world accidents. This study was conducted to first assess the effect of size and restraint conditions, including belt misuse, on second-row occupant kinematics and to then document key clearance measurements for an Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) seated in the second row in modern vehicles from model years 2015-2020. Twenty-two tests were performed with non-instrumented ATDs; three with a 5th percentile female Hybrid III, 10 tests with a 10-year-old Hybrid III, and 9 tests with a 6-year-old Hybrid III. Test conditions included two sled bucks (mid-size car and sport utility vehicle (SUV)), two test speeds (56 and 64 km/h), and various restraint configurations (properly restrained and improperly restrained configurations). Head and knee trajectories were assessed. Head excursion was 38 percent greater
Parenteau, Chantal, Burnett, Roger, Danthurthi, Sri Sai Kameshwari, Andrecovich, Christopher
Seat Performance in Rear Impacts: Seatback Deflection and Energy Dissipation2021-01-09164/6/2021
Occupant protection in rear crashes is complex. While seatbelts and head restraints are effective in rear impacts, seatbacks offer the primary restraint component to front-seat occupants in rear impacts. Seatback deflection due to occupant loading can occur in a previous rear crash and/or in multiple-rear event crashes. Seatback deflection will in-turn affect the plastic seatback deformation and energy absorption capabilities of the seat. This study was conducted to provide information on seatback deflection and seat energy consumption in low and high-speed rear impacts. The results can be used to examine seatback deflection and energy consumed in a previous rear impact, or in collisions with multiple rear impacts. Prior seatback deflection and energy absorption can affect the total remaining energy absorption and seat performance for a subsequent rear impact. Rear sled tests included eight 16 km/h tests conducted with the BioRID and eight matched 40 km/h tests with the 50th percentile
White, Samuel, Parenteau, Chantal, Burnett, Roger
Incidence and Mechanism of Head, Cervical Spine, Lumbar Spine, and Lower Extremity Injuries for Occupants in Low- to Moderate-Speed Frontal Collisions2021-01-09024/6/2021
Automotive accidents and subsequent personal injury claims incur substantial costs annually. While three-point restraint usage, dual-stage airbags, and knee bolster and side curtain airbags have become more ubiquitous and, in some cases, governmentally mandated for front seat occupants, occupant safety and injury risk assessment continue to be at the forefront of automotive innovation. In this study, we combined analyses of the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS; 2007-2015) and the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS; 2017) with data acquired from vehicle-to-vehicle crash tests conducted with instrumented anthropomorphic test device (ATD) occupants. Together, these analyses were used to compare and relate field injury rates with potential injury mechanisms in low- to moderate-speed frontal collisions. First, low- to moderate-speed (delta-V ≤ 24 km/h) frontal crash data from NASS-CDS and CISS were analyzed to estimate the rate of AIS 2+ and
Davis, M., Mkandawire, C., Brown, T., Pasquesi, S.
Adapting to Manufacturing Challenges of COVID-19TBMG-385552/1/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great changes and challenges, disrupting not only the global marketplace but also the supply chains that keep people and essential businesses healthy and functioning. For example, amid an already growing market for infection-control gear and hygienic products made of nonwoven thermoplastic fabrics, COVID-19 has greatly strained and helped to reshape the global supply chain for nonwoven personal protective equipment (PPE).
Editorial20AVEP05_015/1/2020
Privately-owned vehicles were never so safe as they are today. Nor have they made so much sense. That thought hit me between the nostrils recently, as I sprayed a pungent disinfectant on the steering wheel of my family's B-segment runabout. Carefully wiping down the car's touch points with antibacterial cleaners has become a new pandemic ritual for us after returning home from food shopping and other essential missions. My little tribe generally keeps the interiors of our two vehicles tidy. Finding the occasional French fry buried in a seat track is, however, preferable to the dangerous microbes deposited every minute in the typical bus, train, or ride-share. The term “clean,” as understood by transit passengers, means a few spritzes by a custodial crew racing to meet uptime targets.
Brooke, Lindsay
Evaluation of Corpuscular Particle Method (CPM) in LS-DYNA for Airbag Modeling2020-01-09784/14/2020
This paper presents a systematic study to assess maturity of Corpuscular Particle Method (CPM) to accurately predict airbag deployment kinematics and its overall responses. The study was performed in three phases: (1) a correlation assessment of CPM predicted inflator characteristics to closed tank tests; (2) a correlation assessment of CPM predicted airbag deployment kinematics, airbag pressure, reaction force from a static deployment of a Driver Airbag (DAB) and (3) a correlation prediction of the impactor force by CPM versus impactor force from physical drop tower tests. These studies were repeated using the Uniform Pressure Method (UPM), to compare the numerical methods for their accuracy in predicting the physical test, computational cost, and applicability. Results from the study suggest that CPM satisfies the fundamental energy laws, and accurately captures the realistic airbag deployment kinematics, especially during the early deployment stage, unlike UPM. CPM accurately
Anantharaju, Neeharika, Uduma, Kalu, Shi, Yibing
Products of Tomorrow: February 2020TBMG-359682/1/2020
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
The Effects of Front-Mounted Accessories on Air Bag Sensors and CrashworthinessJ2431_201910 (Current)10/9/2019
Almost all light trucks now are being manufactured with at least a driver side air bag and all will have dual air bags by 1998. The driving forces behind this feature are occupant safety, federal regulations, and competition in the industry. Along with the booming popularity of pickups and SUVs, they are commonly accessorized with a wide variety of products. Many accessories for four-wheel drives in particular are mounted on the front of the vehicle. These products include grille/brush guards, winches, snow plows, replacement bumpers, bicycle carriers, etc. Concerns have arisen over the compatibility of these accessories with the vehicle’s air bag system. The vehicle manufacturers are concerned because of their huge investment in design and crash test verification of the complete vehicle system and keen awareness of the federal regulations. The crushability of the front bumper and supporting structure are key elements in the system, so alterations to that area become logical concerns
Motor Vehicle Council
Evaluation of Impact Energy Attenuators and Composite Material Designs of a UAM VTOL Concept VehicleF-0075-2019-145545/13/2019
The development of Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles for the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) markets presents a need for light weight vehicle structures with effective occupant protection capabilities. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been working to fill that need, recently developing a cadre of concept vehicles to help characterize UAM design feasibility. This paper describes a study, using these concept vehicles, to evaluate the use of advanced composite structure and energy attenuating designs in the UAM vehicle design space. A finite element model (FEM) of a single passenger quadrotor concept vehicle was developed in LS- Dyna® and simulated under nominal and off-nominal vertical impact conditions. A variety of energy attenuating design mechanisms were implemented within this model to quantify their effectiveness in improving occupant safety. The use of carbon composites in both the energy attenuation mechanisms and vehicle structure was evaluated
Putnam, Jacob, Littell, Justin
The Navigator19AVEP05_035/1/2019
Lessons from the 737 Max-8 Debacle It's always a tragedy when people die as a result of a machine malfunctioning. It's even more tragic if we fail to learn from that failure to make future machines safer. In recent months, two practically new Boeing 737 Max-8 jetliners have crashed claiming more than 300 lives. While we don't yet have the final results of the investigations, early indications point to new automation systems, the way they were validated, and the way operators were trained. As we rush headlong into the era of automated driving, this seems like a remarkably teachable moment.
Abuelsamid, Sam
Development of Parametrically Integrated Software Platform for Passenger Car Brake System2019-01-12314/2/2019
The hydraulic servo brake system for passenger car plays a central role in occupant protection, which directly affects the automotive active safety and road handling. In this paper, an integrated parameterized software platform of hydraulic servo brake systems is proposed to realize fast and efficient braking system development. At first, according to the structure and working principle of the hydraulic servo brake system, the relationship among amount of fluid required for brake caliper, pedal feel and performance of the brake system is analyzed. Then, based on kinematics and dynamics of the hydraulic servo brake system, a simulation model for analyze pedal feel and amount of fluid required for brake caliper is built in AMESim, which is composed of brake pedal, vacuum booster, brake master cylinder, brake hoses and brake calipers, etc. In addition, the accuracy of the simulation model is verified by bench tests, and the significantly influential factors on the amount of fluid required
Pan, Jin, Guo, Xuexun, Zhou, Wei, Pei, Xiaofei, Pan, Hao, Zhang, Jie
Evaluation of Occupant Loading in Low- to Moderate-Speed Frontal and Rear-End Motor Vehicle Collisions2019-01-12204/2/2019
Low- to moderate-speed motor vehicle collisions are common roadway occurrences that are generally associated with low rates of reported injury. While such complaints are generally infrequent, claims of injuries resulting from low- to moderate-speed motor vehicle collisions persist. A limited body of literature using quantitative techniques and full-scale crash tests is available to assess the injury potential associated with such collisions. Prior studies have analyzed occupant kinematics and kinetics as well as human injury risk in low- to moderate-speed collisions with older vehicle vintages but do not assess the effects of updated vehicle interior designs and occupant protection devices reflective of efforts to optimize occupant kinematics and reduce occupant loading and injury risk in more modern vehicles. This study was conducted to evaluate the injury potential for occupants of vehicles with modern design elements involved in low- to moderate-speed inline motor vehicle collisions
Toney-Bolger, Megan, Campbell, Ian, Miller, Bruce, Davis, Mathieu, Fisher, Jacob
Effects of Innovation in Automated Vehicles on Occupant Compartment Designs, Evaluation, and Safety: A Review of Public Marketing, Literature, and Standards2019-01-12234/2/2019
In recent years, the discussion around the advent of highly automated vehicles has shifted from “if” to “when.” Commercially available vehicles already incorporate automated vehicle (AV) technologies of varying capability, and the eventual transition to fully automated systems, at least within certain predefined Operational Design Domains, is largely considered inevitable. While the full ramifications of this shift and the eventual depreciation of human driver control are still under intense debate, there is broad agreement on one issue -the advent of driverless systems will remove several constraints on the design of vehicle interior spaces, creating the opportunity for innovation. Even at this early stage, ambitious design concepts of purpose specific vehicles - mobile gyms, offices, bedrooms - have been proposed. More grounded designs, such as rotating passenger seats, have also been put forward. However, there are two other points on which general agreement exists - future AVs will
Filatov, Anton, Scanlon, John M., Bruno, Alexander, Danthurthi, Sri Sai Kameshwari, Fisher, Jacob
Analysis of Rear Seat Sled Tests with the 5th Female Hybrid III: Incorrect Conclusions in Bidez et al. SAE 2005-01-17082019-01-06184/2/2019
Objective: Sled test video and data were independently analyzed to assess the validity of statements and conclusions reported in Bidez et al. SAE paper 2005-01-1708 [7]. Method: An independent review and analysis of the test data and video was conducted for 9 sled tests at 35 km/h (21.5 mph). The 5th female Hybrid III was lap-shoulder belted in the 2nd or 3rd row seat of a SUV buck. For one series, the angle was varied from 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 deg PDOF. The second series involved shoulder belt pretensioning and other belt modifications. Results: Bidez et al. [7] claimed “The lap belts moved up and over the pelvis of the small female dummy for all impact angles tested.” We found that there was no submarining in any of the tests with the production lap-shoulder belts. Bidez et al. [7] claimed “H3-5F dummies began to roll out of their shoulder belt at… 30 degrees. Complete loss of torso support was seen at 45 degrees without significant kinetic energy dissipation.” We found that the
Viano, David, Parenteau, Chantal
The Effects of Inboard Shoulder Belt and Lap Belt Loadings on Chest Deflection2018-22-000211/12/2018
Chest injuries occur frequently in frontal collisions. During impact, tension in the lap belt is transferred to the inboard shoulder belt, which compresses the lower ribs of the occupant. In this research, inboard shoulder belt and lap belt geometries and forces were investigated to reduce chest deflection. First, the inboard shoulder belt geometry was changed by the lap/shoulder belt (L/S) junction for the rear seat occupant in sled tests using Hybrid III finite element simulation, sled tests and THOR simulation. As the L/S junction was closer to the ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine), chest deflection of the Hybrid III was smaller. The L/S junction around the ilium has the potential to reduce chest deflection without significant increase of head excursion. For THOR, although the chest deflection reduction effect due to closer L/S junction to the ASIS was observed, chest deflection was still substantially large since the lap belt overrode the ASIS. Second, measures to hook the ASIS
Mizuno, Koji, Yoshida, Ryoichi, Nakajima, Yutaka, Tanaka, Yoshihiko, Ishigaki, Ryota, Hosokawa, Naruyuki, Hitosugi, Masahito
Performance Standard for Passenger Smoke and Toxic Fumes Respiratory Protective EquipmentAS8048 (Historical)10/18/2018
This SAE Aerospace Standard (AS) defines the performance requirements for equipment to be used by untrained cabin occupants for protection from toxic and irritant atmospheres while on board and during evacuation of an aircraft.
A-10 Aircraft Oxygen Equipment Committee
Autonomous vehicles present passive-safety challenges18AUTP10_0810/1/2018
Reclined and rotated seating positions are commonly depicted for autonomously driven vehicles. But for the Autoliv engineers tasked with developing occupant safety for tomorrow's self-driving vehicles, those previously improbable seating positions dictate innovative new passive safety protections. “Passive safety for autonomous vehicles is a pretty complicated problem to solve, which is why we're starting out with the simplest scenario: a frontal crash with a front occupant in a partial-recline position,” E. Scott Dershem, Autoliv's Vice President of Product Development, said in an interview with Automotive Engineering at the safety supplier's Auburn Hills, Michigan technical center.
Buchholz, Kami
Development of Component Level Transfer Equations of Simplified Human and ATD Occupant Models09-06-01-00056/5/2018
Safety systems have historically been evaluated with anthropomorphic test devices for research, development, or regulatory concerns. Human body models are another avenue for use in the investigation of occupant safety. In this study, transfer equations are developed to quantify the response of a human model (Global Human Body Models Consortium average male simplified model) and dummy model (Hybrid-III) in equivalent environments. Environments were selected based on certification test setups used for the Hybrid III ATD as well as a basic frontal sled environment. The tests include a head drop, neck flexion/extension, and chest and knee impacts. Furthermore, models were positioned within a simplified occupant interior for sled tests. In all, 30 matched pair simulations were run, 60 in total. Peak metrics between human and anthropomorphic test device models showed strong linear correlation in component testing however, as the complexity of the simulations increased, agreement tended to
Guleyupoglu, Berkan, Koya, Bharath, Gayzik, Francis Scott
Using Shoulder Bolster and Knee Bolster to Achieve Protection Effect Comparable to Seatbelt and Airbag2018-01-11704/3/2018
Seatbelt and airbags provide effective occupant restraint, but are also potential to induce intrusive deformation and submarining injuries in motor vehicle crashes. To address these issues, this study puts forward a new restraint concept that applies restraint loads on shoulders and knees/femurs, i.e., the sturdiest regions of human body, via a combined use of shoulder bolster and knee bolster based on biomechanical computational analysis. The load characteristics of the two bolsters were optimized to obtain protection effectiveness superior to conventional use of seatbelt and airbag. Occupant kinematics and kinetics were taken into account, including the excursions of head, shoulders and knees, the accelerations of head and chest, and the compressions of thorax on several locations on the ribcage. The injury risk of rib fractures was monitored based on the strain levels of ribcage. Results show that applying adaptive restraint loads on the sturdy regions of human body using shoulder
Huang, Yuan, Zhou, Qing, Ji, Peijun, Nie, Bingbing
Optimizing Occupant Restraint Systems for Tactical Vehicles in Frontal Crashes2018-01-06214/3/2018
The objective of this study was to optimize the occupant restraint systems for a light tactical vehicle in frontal crashes. A combination of sled testing and computational modeling were performed to find the optimal seatbelt and airbag designs for protecting occupants represented by three size of ATDs and two military gear configurations. This study started with 20 sled frontal crash tests to setup the baseline performance of existing seatbelts, which have been presented previously; followed by parametric computational simulations to find the best combinations of seatbelt and airbag designs for different sizes of ATDs and military gear configurations involving both driver and passengers. Then 12 sled tests were conducted with the simulation-recommended restraint designs. The test results were further used to validate the models. Another series of computational simulations and 4 sled tests were performed to fine-tune the optimal restraint design solutions. The sled tests with the
Hu, Jingwen, Ritchie Orton, Nichole, Chen, Cong, Reed, Matthew, Rupp, Jonathan, Gruber, Rebekah, Clark, David, Scherer, Risa
A Fast Running Loading Methodology for Ground Vehicle Underbody Blast Events2018-01-06204/3/2018
A full-system, end-to-end blast modeling and simulation of vehicle underbody buried blast events typically includes detailed modeling of soil, high explosive (HE) charge and air. The complex computations involved in these simulations take days to just capture the initial 50-millisecond blast-off phase, and in some cases, even weeks. The single most intricate step in the buried blast event simulation is in the modeling of the explosive loading on the underbody structure from the blast products; it is also one of the most computationally expensive steps of the simulation. Therefore, there is significant interest in the modeling and simulation community to develop various methodologies for fast running tools to run full simulation events in quicker turnarounds of time. This paper discusses investigation of a fast running blast loading methodology wherein the effects of the soil can be adequately captured without having to employ a highly detailed and computationally intensive soil
Ramalingam, Jaisankar, Thyagarajan, Ravi
Dynamic Performance Assessment of Side Facing Troop Seats During ImpactF-0073-2017-120395/9/2017
ABSTRACT The Air Force Research Laboratory Aircrew Biodynamics and Protection Group of the Applied Neuroscience Branch (711HPW/RHCPT) conducted a dynamic impact comparative test program of currently-fielded side facing troop seats to evaluate how effectively the seats protect occupants ranging from the 5th percentile female to the 98th percentile male during crash events. The test program consisted of impact testing stock H-60A/L, CV-22, and CH-53E seats and quantifying the safety effectiveness of each seat using recommended injury criteria from the Full Spectrum Crashworthiness (FSC) report and other historical criteria. The program demonstrates a methodology to quickly and inexpensively compare occupant protection across different designs and platforms. The program also identifies serious structural and functional deficiencies of several operational seats that correlate with rotorcraft mishap injury and mortality data.
Wright, Nathan, Burneka, Chris
Stable and Accurate LS-DYNA Simulations with Foam Material Models: Optimization of Finite Element Model Parameters2017-01-13383/28/2017
Cellular foams have found a predominant application in automotive industry for efficient energy absorption so as to meet stringent and continuously improving vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection criteria. The recent inclusion of pedestrian protection regulations mandate the use of foams of different densities for impact energy absorption at identified impact locations; this has paved the way for significant advancements in foam molding techniques such as dual density and tri-density molding. With increased emphasis on light-weighting, solutions involving the use of polymeric or metallic foams as fillers in hollow structures - foam encapsulated metal structures - are being explored. Another major automotive application of foams is in the seat comfort area, which again involves foams of intricate shapes and sizes. In addition, a few recently developed foams are anisotropic, adding on to the existing complexities. Complexities associated with controlled/ uncontrolled spatial
Ramaswamy, Karthik, Patham, Bhaskar, Savic, Vesna, Tripathy, Biswajit
Full Instrumentation of Side Impact Pole and In-Depth Analysis of Vehicle Structural Behavior2016-36-012810/25/2016
In order to obtain more information from the side impact tests, a pole was fully instrumented with triaxle load cells. Also, a sled modification was carried out providing a sub-frame view of the vehicle during the entire test and making possible to compare the structure and element deformations with the obtained data. An in-depth analysis of vehicle structural behavior focused on the forces received by the vehicle during the pole side impact test was made. A crash test was set to validate the acquisition system of the instrumented pole. The obtained data like the forces and the deformations were analyzed in depth and used for a structural study of the vehicle. The data acquired by the acquisition system was used to obtain a force diagram from the pole and a comparison was made with the vehicle absorption mechanisms and structural elements involved. Moreover, the force data was compared with the sub-frame view and with the structural element’s deformation. With the results, it was
Sanchez, Jacob, Malivern, Melcior, Parera, Núria, Fornells, Alba
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