A study of current neck injury criteria used for whiplash analysis: proposal of a new criterion involving upper and lower neck load cells

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Muñoz, D.¹; Mansilla, A.^1,2; López-Valdés, F.^1,2; Martín, R.¹

A study of current neck injury criteria used for whiplash analysis: proposal of a new criterion involving upper and lower neck load cells

Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV)

Affiliations

¹Fundación CIDAUT

²Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering of Materials. University of Valladolid, Spain
Abstract

Nowadays several injury criteria are being used in the analysis and evaluation of whiplash risk in automotive rear impacts (NIC, Nkm, LNL, etc.). This study presents a review of the most accepted injury mechanisms and evaluates the advantages and inconveniences of the commonest criteria at present. Taking into account the conclusions arrived at during this comparison, a new criterion is proposed using the signals registered in the upper and lower neck load cells of a crash test dummy, trying to minimize the disadvantages previously found in the other criteria. In order to validate this study a series of sled tests with a BioRID-II dummy have been performed and its results analyzed, confirming the assumptions made during the review of the present criteria and showing a very promising response to the new one. In conclusion, the use of injury criteria involving the load cells situated in both ends of the neck at the same time is recommended as the best way to deal with the dynamics produced during the whiplash movement in a rear impact.
Links

URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0313-O.pdf

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Cited By (6)

Year	Entry
2010	Schmitt K-U, Niederer PF, Muser MH, Walz F. Trauma Biomechanics: Accidental Injury in Traffic and Sports. 2nd ed. Deidelberg, Germany: Springer; 2010.
2016	Yoganandan N, Pintar FA, Chirvi S, Chancey VC, McEntire BJ. Lower neck injury criteria from post‐mortem human subject tests using an injury mechanism approach. In: Proceedings of the 2016 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 14-16, 2016; Malaga, Spain.160-161.
2017	Lechner R, Hailer I, Horion S, Steffan H. Validation of the causality of influencing seat design parameters, identified by using multivariate analysis methods, on the BioRID‐II ATD kinematics in low‐speed rear‐end impacts. In: Proceedings of the 2017 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 13-15, 2017; Antwerp, Belgium.613-622.
2008	Himmetoglu S. Car Seat Design and Human-Body Modelling for Rear Impact Whiplash Mitigation [PhD thesis]. Loughborough, UK: Loughborough University; 2008.
2013	Van Toen CY. Biomechanics of Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Under Combined Axial Compression and Lateral Bending Loading [PhD thesis]. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia; December 2013.
2013	Toomey DE. Cervical Spine Tolerance and Response in Compressive Loading Modes Including Combined Compression and Lateral Bending [PhD thesis]. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University; May 2013.