HEAD IMPACT TOLERANCE: CORRELATION BETWEEN DUMMY IMPACTS AND ACTUAL HEAD INJURIES

Forty-seven tests were run in which a baseball was pitched at an anthropometric dummy head at speeds of between 95 and 100 mph. Impact configurations included impacts to the front and side of the head with direct and indirect impacts. Tests were run with an unprotected dummy head and with the head protected with various helmets including baseball, football, hockey, bicycle, and motorcycle helmets. Head accelerations were measured for each test and maximum accelerations and Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values computed. The values of maximum acceleration and HIC for the tests to the unprotected dummy head were then correlated with actual injuries received by professional baseball players (without helmets) hit by fast pitches. Head accelerations and HIC values for helmeted tests are also compared to the results for the unprotected head to determine the relative effectiveness of each helmet design in attenuating impact.

• Corporate Authors:

  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  1005 North Glebe Road
  Arlington, VA  United States  22201
• Authors:
  • Jones, I S
  • Mohan, D
• Publication Date: 1984-5

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 32 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attenuation; Crash cushions; Crash tests; Design; Dummies; Engineering tolerance; Head; Helmets; Injuries; Mechanical acceleration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Head injuries
• Old TRIS Terms: Tolerances
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393624
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 527
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 29 1985 12:00AM