Studies on Headform Impact Design

Abstract

HIC(d) (Head Injury Criterion, dummy) is defined as a kinematic relationship involving resultant translational deceleration at the CG (center of gravity) of a biofidelic headform and duration of contact. As deceleration response of a headform is in general a function of the energy-absorbing and geometrical properties of an obstructing structure (for a given impact speed), HIC(d) can be expressed, at least symbolically, as a function of those properties. The current paper uses a simplified mathematical model to capture the worst case of headform impact as considered in the FMVSS 201 regulation for upper interior head impact. The obstructing structural countermeasure in the path of a colliding headform is assumed to possess idealized elastoplastic although physically relevant behavior under loading. During the process of designing for headform impact safety compliance, which often turns out to be a trial-and-error process, it is sometimes difficult to see the correspondence between HIC(d) and the relative effectiveness of design iterations in terms of energy-absorption. Thus, relationship between HIC(d) and energy absorbed by such structural countermeasures is investigated. Based on results obtained from the current model and a new approach, an explicit relationship is derived between HIC(d) and the characteristic properties of an energy-absorbing countermeasure that can be used as a design aid.