The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contracted the development of the THOR (Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint), an advanced frontal impact 50th percentile male Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD), i.e. THOR-50M. The THOR-50M ATD incorporates substantial improvements in biofidelity and measurement/injury prediction capability compared to the current Hybrid III 50th dummy in NHTSA regulation. Because the available data demonstrates that safety concerns for small females differ from those of mid-sized males, the THOR 5 th Percentile Female ATD (THOR-05F) is now being designed to provide improved biofidelity compared to the Hybrid III 5th Female ATD.

This paper presents the latest design of the THOR-05F ATD being developed. This THOR-05F design, while based on the THOR-50M design concepts, also includes changes and new concepts to the head, neck, shoulder, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities. In general, these changes are incorporated in order to improve the manufacturability and usability of the dummy, to better comply with the most up to date anthropometry specifications, and also to meet updated biofidelity requirements.

Design changes to the THOR-05F head and neck were incorporated to improve manufacturability and usability. The shoulder structure was redesigned to meet the anthropometry specifications and reduce the complexity for manufacturing, while retaining the appropriate joint configuration and range of motion. A range of motion limiter was added to the design of the lower thoracic spine pitch adjustment joint to prevent the dummy upper torso from falling over during assembly/disassembly and pitch adjustment operation. Abdomen pressure sensors were designed into the dummy to replace the abdomen IR-TRACCs, to address potential durability issues for the expected use of the small female dummy (e.g. in a rear seat environment), and to provide an alternative way to predict submarining and abdomen injury. The pelvic bone was designed in accordance with a statistical representation of a 5 th percentile female pelvis, resulting in more accurate anthropometry compared with the Hybrid III 5th female pelvis. The arms were redesigned to better represent the human anthropometry and the flesh cutout cavity for bone insert was reduced to minimize the metal bone joint exposure. The leg design was revised to improve its anthropometry and handling. A molded shoe was integrated into the foot design to minimize the mechanical response variance of the shoes purchased from the market. Accommodations for optional in-dummy DAS were included in the ATD design. Finite element analysis was carried out for the ankle joint to optimize the design. In addition, lessons learned from THOR-50M program were taken into considerations throughout the design process.

In conclusion, this paper presents the design of a new THOR-05F dummy being developed to address the safety needs of the small female population. Prototype fabrication, biofidelity evaluation, and certification testing are planned and results will be presented in the future.