STEERING SYSTEM ABDOMINAL IMPACT TRAUMA. FINAL REPORT

A series of impact tests to the abdomen and thorax of unembalmed cadavers was conducted using a rigid, curved steel bar to simulate the lower portion of the steering wheel rim. The test matrix used involved impacts to different regions of the thorax and abdomen at different impact velocities and with several low-velocity impacts on each subject prior to conducting high-velocity impact. These test conditions were originally established to investigate the effects of various test conditions (e.g., pressurization versus no pressurization) and variability in test results among subjects under similar conditions. Subsequent to data collection, the goals of the project were changed to focus on evaluation of different proposed injury criteria. Analysis routines were developed to calculate values for the different injury criteria but, because of the multiple impacts on each subject and differences in impact locations between tests, and because of the high correlations among the different injury criteria for the test conditions, evaluation and comparison of the proposed injury criteria could not be meaningfully made. The test results point out the importance of the location of the impact to liver injury, and provide new data on force-deflection characteristics for the mode of impact used in these tests.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

  2901 Baxter Road
  Ann Arbor, MI  United States  48109-2150
• Authors:
  • NUSHOLTZ, G S
  • Kaiker, P S
  • Lehman, R J
• Publication Date: 1988-4

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 87 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abdomen; Cadavers; Crash injury research; Crash tests; Crashes; Impact; Injuries; Speed; Steering wheels; Testing; Thorax
• Uncontrolled Terms: Impact speed
• Old TRIS Terms: Test results
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00611050
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTRI-88-19, HS-040 978
• Contract Numbers: 7131
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 31 1991 12:00AM