The SAE has coordinated development of a new chest jacket and spine box for the Hybrid III (HIII) Fifth Percentile Female Crash Test Dummy. The proposed modifications intend to correct dimensional inconsistencies in the chest jacket drawings, make the jackets in accordance with the new drawings and eliminate a potential source of mechanical noise in the data. NHTSA procured two new chest jackets, one from each supplier for evaluation. The following questions were investigated through series of inspection, certification, and out-of-position (OOP) and sled tests.
The study presents data collected on both Robert A. Denton (Denton) and First Technology Safety Systems (FTSS) produced dummies. The companies have since merged into Humanetics Innovative Solutions, Inc. The dimensional inspection data presented includes a comparison of the anthropomorphic characteristics to the design specifications. The performance of the dummy is evaluated through analysis of the three types of dynamic test data. This includes deflection, acceleration, loads and high speed video from certification tests, low risk deployment tests and sled tests. The analysis of injury values is also performed. The authors’ hypothesis is that the new dummies all produce comparable dimensional data and test results. The actual variances are documented. Preliminary comparison showed dimensional compliance within 3 mm and good repeatability. Inspection reports provided dimensional data for both jackets along with laser scan results. Dynamic test data provided deflection, acceleration and load data from certification, OOP and sled testing. The data was analyzed using standard hypothesis test methods (student t-test) to accept or refute the hypothesis that the jackets are effectively the same. The test matrix was limited in sample size for both the OOP and sled tests. The use of a mandrel to assure that the jackets are dimensionally correct is a novel approach for improving quality.