UCLA-ITTE ENGINEERS RESEARCH A SAFER SEAT

BUCKET SEAT AND BENCH SEAT DESIGNS WERE TESTED BY UCLA- ITTE ENGINEERS TO DEVELOP A SAFETY SEAT FOR MOTORISTS. SEAT CONFIGURATIONS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED THAT INCORPORATE MANY OF THE DESIRED SAFETY MODIFICATIONS. THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE SEATS WERE DEVELOPED AND EVALUATED AS PROTOTYPE INSTALLATION FOR SCHOOL BUSES. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS WERE LIMITED TO A 20G SEAT INERTIA AND OCCUPANT LOADING BECAUSE OF THE LOWER FRAME LOADINGS GENERALLY ENCOUNTERED BY LARGE VEHICLES, AS COMPARED WITH PASSENGER CARS. WITH MODIFICATIONS, HOWEVER, THESE SAME DESIGN REQUIREMENTS CAN BE APPLIED TO THE RECOMMENDED 30G OCCUPANT CONTAINMENT FOR PASSENGER CARS. THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER'S PEDESTAL SEAT WAS REDESIGNED TO INCLUDE A HEAD RESTRAINT AND AN INTEGRAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM, WITH INERTIAL REEL FOR THE DIAGONAL STRAP. THE THREE- PASSENGER 45-IN.-WIDE BENCH SEAT HAS A 28-IN.-HIGH SEATBACK, AN ARMREST SIDE RESTRAINT, AND A PADDED HEAD RESTRAINT. ITS A FRAME HAS A LIGHTGAGE EXPANDED-SHEET-METAL SEATBACK PANEL, WHICH PROVIDES A POCKETING RESTRAINT FOR THE KNEES OF THE REAR OCCUPANTS, THEREBY REDUCING THE POSSIBILITY OF OCCUPANTS BEING THROWN OVER THE TOP OF THE FIXED SEATBACK. THE MERITS OF THE NEW SEAT DESIGNS WERE ESTABLISHED BY A HEAD-ON COLLISION BETWEEN A SCHOOL BUS AND A TRUCK, BOTH GOING 30MPH, AND TWO SIDE-IMPACT EXPOSURES IN WHICH 60-MPH PASSENGER CAR STRUCK THE STATIONARY BUS AT ITS REAR DUALS. VIOLENT BODY KINEMATICS DURING COLLISION WERE ADEQUATELY MODERATED FOR THESE EXPOSURES BY THE HIGH-BACK ENGERY-ABSORBING SEATS AND ARMREST RESTRAINTS. ALL THREE TYPES OF HEAD RESTRAINTS PERFORMED WELL, WITH NO GREAT DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE EVIDENT.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 78, No 6, PP 24-28, 6 FIG, 1 TAB
• Authors:
  • SEVERY, D M
  • Brink, H M
  • BAIRD, J D
  • BLAISDELL, D M
• Publication Date: 1970-6

Media Info

• Serial:
  • SAE Journal of Automotive Engineering
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Constraints; Crash tests; Crashes; Design; Energy absorption; Frontal crashes; Headrests; Manual safety belts; Passengers; School bus drivers; School buses; Seats; Side crashes; Testing
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223248
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 6 1970 12:00AM