A COMPARISON OF THE IMPACT RESPONSE OF CADAVER HEADS AND ANTHROPOMORPHIC HEADFORMS

The present study compares the impact response of cadaver heads and of several different headforms for blows to various regions for both helmeted and unhelmeted conditions over a range of impact levels. The test data indicates that certain headforms respond in a more "human-like" manner than do others. Skull stiffness, headform geometry and soft tissue characteristics are shown to be primary elements governing the nature of the forces transmitted through the headform. An attempt was made to correlate accident induced helmet damage and head injury. To make such a comparison the accident induced helmet damage has to be duplicated with laboratory induced helmet damage of known input energy levels to headforms with helmets identical to the accident helmet. The comparison can be made if the impact response of the laboraotry test headform is similar to that of the human head. It is the validity of this assumption that the present paper investigates. /HSRT/

• Corporate Authors:

  American Association for Automotive Medicine

  801 Green Bay Road
  Lake Bluff, IL  United States  60044
• Authors:
  • Webster, G D
  • NEWMAN, J A
• Conference:
  • 20th Annual Conference of the American Association for Automotive Medicine
  • Date: 1976-11-1 to 1976-11-3
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 221-240
• Serial:
  • Volume: 20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cadavers; Crash tests; Head; Helmets; Human factors; Injuries
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00144164
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Contract Numbers: DOT-HS-024-1-115
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 13 1977 12:00AM