Experimental Evaluation of the Human Knee Joint in Pedestrian-Car Impact Loading Environment

This thesis presents experimental results from tests performed to measure the response of a human knee joint in dynamic lateral loading. A critique of previous knee joint studies was done and used as a motivation for developing a new test methodology. In the present study, isolated knee joint specimens from Post Mortem Human Subjects (PMHS) were tested in 4-point medial-lateral bending (15 tests) and 3-point medial-lateral bending with varying proportions of shear force (8 tests). The loading rate replicated the pedestrian impact at 40km/hr which corresponds to knee bend angulation rate of 1°/ms.

The bending moments and shear forces measured at the load cell were inertially compensated to estimate the moment and shear response at the knee joint center. The mean bending moment, scaled to 50 th percentile adult male, for the first injury in bending tests was 122 ± 15 Nm (95% confidence interval) which is much less than previously reported in the literature. It is shown that procedures like geometric scaling alone do not truly account for subject variability and have little effect on reducing the response variance. The sample size of 15 chosen in the study for bending tests is justified by comparing its effect on the failure moment confidence interval. Post test necropsy showed repeated incidence of MCL injury in all specimens tested which is consistent with observations from pedestrian traffic injuries.

In the presence of small proportions of shear, no appreciable change in bending moment response was observed. However for larger proportions of shear, inertial effects dominate and rigid body assumptions are not sufficient to compensate for knee joint response. Similar to the bending tests, post-test necropsy showed that MCL avulsion is the only injury in most combined loading tests as well

Thus it was concluded that MCL elongation upon tension in valgus bending primarily dictates the knee bending response for laterally struck pedestrians. The bending response curves and first failure moments as reported in this study can be used for estimating injury thresholds and validating computational and mechanical lower limb impactor models.

Year	Entry
1988	Cesari D, Cavallero C, Cassan F, Moffatt C. Interaction between human leg and car bumper in pedestrian tests. In: Proceedings of the 1988 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 14-16, 1988; Bergisch-Gladbach, West Germany.259-269.
2000	Artis M, McDonald J, White R, Huang TJ, Shams T, Rangarajan N, Akiyama A, Okamoto M, Yoshizawa R, Ishikawa H. Development of a new biofidelic leg for use with a pedestrian dummy. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.41-52.
2001	Wittek A, Konosu A, Matsui Y, Ishikawa H, Sasaki A, Shams T, McDonald J. A new legform impactor for evaluation of car aggressiveness in car-pedestrian accidents. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2001	Konosu A, Ishikawa H, Tanahashi M. Reconsideration of injury criteria for pedestrian subsystem legform test: problems of rigid legform impactor. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2001	Detwiler DT, Miller RA. Development of a sport utility front bumper system for pedestrian safety and 5 mph impact peformance. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
1999	Kajzer J, Matsui Y, Ishikawa H, Schroeder G, Bosch U. Shearing and bending effects at the knee joint at low speed lateral loading. In: Proceedings of the SAE International Congress & Exposition. March 1-4, 1999; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE 1999-01-0712.
1997	Kajzer J, Schroeder G, Ishikawa H, Matsui Y, Bosch U. Shearing and bending effects at the knee joint at high speed lateral loading. In: Proceedings of the 41st Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 13-14, 1997; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:151-165. SAE 973326.
1993	Kajzer J, Cavallero C, Bonnoit J, Morjane A, Ghanouchi S. Response of the knee joint in lateral impact: effect of bending moment. In: Proceedings of the 1993 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 8-10, 1993; Eindhoven, The Netherlands.105-116.
1990	Kajzer J, Cavallero C, Ghanouchi S, Bonnoit J, Ghorbel A. Response of the knee joint in lateral impact: effect of shearing loads. In: Proceedings of the 1990 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 12-14, 1990; Lyon, France.293-304.
2004	Ivarsson J, Lessley D, Kerrigan J, Bhalla K, Bose D, Crandall J, Kent R. Dynamic response corridors and injury thresholds of the pedestrian lower extremities. In: Proceedings of the 2004 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 22-24, 2004; Graz, Austria.179-191.
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2003	Kerrigan JR, Bhalla KS, Madeley NJ, Funk JR, Bose D, Crandall JR. Experiments for establishing pedestrian-impact lower limb injury criteria. In: Proceedings of the SAE World Congress & Exhibition. March 3-6, 2003; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE 2003-01-0895.

Year

Entry

1988

Cesari D, Cavallero C, Cassan F, Moffatt C. Interaction between human leg and car bumper in pedestrian tests. In: Proceedings of the 1988 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 14-16, 1988; Bergisch-Gladbach, West Germany.259-269.

2000

Artis M, McDonald J, White R, Huang TJ, Shams T, Rangarajan N, Akiyama A, Okamoto M, Yoshizawa R, Ishikawa H. Development of a new biofidelic leg for use with a pedestrian dummy. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.41-52.

2001

Wittek A, Konosu A, Matsui Y, Ishikawa H, Sasaki A, Shams T, McDonald J. A new legform impactor for evaluation of car aggressiveness in car-pedestrian accidents. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2001

Konosu A, Ishikawa H, Tanahashi M. Reconsideration of injury criteria for pedestrian subsystem legform test: problems of rigid legform impactor. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2001

Detwiler DT, Miller RA. Development of a sport utility front bumper system for pedestrian safety and 5 mph impact peformance. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.