AUTOMOTIVE SEAT DESIGN AND COLLISION PERFORMANCE

Eighty-five laboratory full-scale force-deflection tests were conducted on passenger vehicle seats, foreign and domestic, for purposes of evaluating specific resistance to a collision environment and mechanism of collision induced seat distortion. These tests evaluated seats that span the past thirty years; additionally, seat design studies were conducted evaluating basic features of automotive seating during the past eighty years. Data from full-scale collision experiments and from a large number of actual accidents facilitated the establishment of seat design criteria for greatly improved collision performance. Evolution of seat and head support standards in the United States and Europe are presented with evaluation of their relative significance to the requirements of automotive seat collision performance. The foregoing research provided foundation for modification of a production automobile seat into a integral safety seat, based on a design concept that minimizes bending moments during collision.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of 20th Conference, Dearborn, Michigan, October 18-20, 1976.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • SEVERY, D M
  • BLAISDELL, D M
  • KERKHOFF, J F
• Conference:
  • Stapp Car Crash Conference Proceedings
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 305-334

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Biophysics; Crash injury research; Crashes; Data analysis; Deflection tests; Mathematical analysis; Research; Seats; Specifications; Traffic crashes; Vehicle design
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00165118
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE 760810
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 27 1977 12:00AM