This paper presents the results from fourteen (n = 14) tests designed to evaluate the response and injury potential of a Hybrid III 3 year old dummy subject to loading by a deploying seat mounted side air bag. An instrumented Hybrid III 3 year old dummy was used for tests in two different occupant positions chosen to maximize head and neck loading. Four seat mounted thoracic side air bags were used that varied only in the level of inflator output. NHTSA’s neck injury criteria for complex loading, referred to as N_ij, was modified to include moment values for both anterioposterior and lateral directions. The results of this testing indicate that side air bag loading can result in forces and moments approaching injury threshold values. While there is considerable uncertainty as to the validity of published injury criteria due to the lack of child biomechanical data, this study demonstrates the sensitivity of child response to initial position which may provide insight into placement and geometry of side airbag systems. Furthermore, the data indicates a relationship between airbag inflator properties and child dummy response for a given airbag geometry.

Recently, automobile manufacturers have begun implementing side air bags as a safety feature to mitigate injuries resulting from side impact collisions. Unlike the case for the passenger side air bag, the injury potential to an out-of-position child in side airbag loading has not been presented in the literature. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the response of a Hybrid III 3 year old dummy subject to loading by a deploying side air bag.