Seatback rotational control reduces whiplash injury potential:​ a preliminary computational study

Fice, J. B.; Blouin, J. S.; Siegmund, G. P.

Passive mechanical systems have been used in automotive seat design to reduce whiplash injuries, but these designs can only be optimized for a small range of occupant mass and impact severity. The overall goal of this work is to develop an actively controlled car seat that can reduce injurious kinematics during a rear impact for a large range of occupant mass and impact severity. In this study, feed-forward control of the seatback rotation was simulated to quantify the potential reduction in occupant kinematics that could be achieved with an active feedback controlled seat. These simulations consisted of a finite element model of a simplified automotive seat and a Hybrid III crash test dummy. Seatback rotation as a function of time was parameterized and then optimized to reduce the T1 acceleration of the dummy. Separate optimizations were performed for impact severities of 8, 12, and 16 km/h. Compared to control conditions, the optimum seatback rotation profiles reduced peak T1 accelerations by approximately 58% for the three crash pulses.

Year

Entry

1998

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2010

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1998

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2007

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2005

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2000

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2001

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