The qualities of the prediction of the Thoracic Trauma index (TTI) and the Viscous Criterion (VC) for the torso injury severity according to AIS will be tested at the 90-degree car to car lateral collision and impact of the left torso against a rigid or a padded wall. Forty-two restrained human corpses in the age range 18 to 65 years. located at the near-side front passenger seat were used. The impact velocity amounted 40 to 60 left and right side impacts were simulated by using standard or modified car side structures. By the second group tested, the left side of the test subjects were impacted under one of two different test conditions: 24 km/h rigid wall and 32 km/h padded wall.
The thorax deformation has been evaluated by a double integration of the acceleration difference at the 4th and 8th n'b, near-side and far-side. In the above mentioned loading conditions occurred deformation maxima of 6 to 138 mm (mean value 69 mm) and VC values of 0.3 to 4.7 m/s (mean value 1.6m/s) and TTI values of 85 to 252 ( mean value The torso injury severity amounted between AIS 0 and AIS 5.
The statistical analysis showed a stronger influence of the age among the test conditions in regard to the injury severity than the loading criteria in the investigated collective. The TTI shows the highest correlation with thorax AIS and the number of rib fractures. VC is more suitable to predict abdomen AlS severity.
The results will be critically discussed with respect to the conditions needed for the injury criteria and the safety qualifying potentials of these criteria.