This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
Steering Wheel Induced Facial Trauma
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
Studies were conducted on twenty-two fresh human cadavers to determine the probability of facial bone fracture following dynamic contact with steering wheel assemblies of both standard (a commercially available) and energy absorbing (EA) types. Using a specially designed and validated vertical-drop impact test system, either zygoma was impacted once onto the junction of the lower left spoke and rim with velocities ranging from 2.0 to 6.9 m/s. Generalized force histories were recorded with a six-axis load cell placed below the hub. The wheel was inclined 30 degrees to the horizontal. Steering wheel deformations were recorded with a system of potentiometers placed below the impact site on the wheel. Dynamic forces at the zygoma (impact site) were computed using transformation principles. A triaxial accelerometer was placed at the posterior parietal region of the specimen opposite to the impact site to record acceleration histories. High speed photography documented the kinematics. Tissues were evaluated using palpation, gross dissection, plain radiography, 2-D and 3-D CTs, and defleshing techniques. Fracture severity was graded on a scale of 1-4. Quasistatic responses of the cadaver zygoma and the steering wheels were also studied.
At impact velocities of 6.93 to 3.58 m/s for the EA wheel and 3.13 to 2.24 m/s for the standard wheel, severe fractures of the zygoma, zygomatic arch, maxilla and orbit were observed. These clinically significant fractures often require surgical intervention. A velocity of approximately 2.68 m/s for the EA wheel and 2.01 m/s for the standard wheel produced no clinically significant injury to the facial structure.
Recommended Content
Technical Paper | The Effect of Limiting Shoulder Belt Load with Air Bag Restraint |
Technical Paper | Dynamic Biaxial Tissue Properties of the Human Cadaver Aorta |
Technical Paper | Survey of Driver Seating Positions in Relation to the Steering Wheel |
Authors
- Narayan Yoganandan - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- Frank Pintar - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- Anthony Sances - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- Gerald Harris
- Kedar Chintapalli
- Joel Myklebust - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- Dale Schmaltz - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- John Reinartz - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Veterans Admin. Medical Center
- John Kalbfleisch
- Sanford Larson
Citation
Yoganandan, N., Pintar, F., Sances, A., Harris, G. et al., "Steering Wheel Induced Facial Trauma," SAE Technical Paper 881712, 1988, https://doi.org/10.4271/881712.Also In
References
- Del Balso Angelo Maxillo Facial Injury Saunders W.B. 1989
- Brant-Zawadzki MN Minagi H Federle MP Rowe LD High resolution CT with image reformation in maxillofacial pathology AJR 138 477 483 1982
- Campbell BJ Safety belt injury reduction related to crash severity and front seated position J Trauma 27 7 733 739 1987
- Digges K Cohen D Eppinger R Hackney J Morgan R Stucki L Saul R Evaluation of devices to measure the injury mitigation properties of steering systems Intl Research Council on Biokinetics of Impact's 1987 Intl IRCOBI Conf on the Biomechanics of Impacts Birmingham (United Kingdom) Sept 8-10, 1987 91 102
- Dolan K Jacoby C Smoker W The Radiology of Facial Fractures RadioGraphics 4 4 577 668 July 1984
- Fujii N Yamashiro M Computed tomography for the diagnosis of facial fractures J Oral Surg 39 735 741 Oct 1981
- Gallup BM Newman JA The assessment of facial injury to fully restrained drivers through full-scale car crash testing J Trauma 27 7 711 718 1987
- Hemmy DC David DJ Herman GT Three-dimensional reconstruction of craniofacial deformity using computed tomography Neurosurgery 13 5 534 541 1983
- Hodgson VR Tolerance of the facial bones to impact Am J Anat 120 113 122 1967
- Hodgson VR Nakamura GS Mechanical impedance and impact response of the human cadaver zygoma J Biomechanics 1 73 78 1968
- Hodgson VR Patrick LM Dynamic response of the human cadaver head compared to a simple mathematical model Proc 12th Stapp Car Crash Conf Society of Automotive Engineers New York 1968 280 301
- Huelke DF Compton CP Facial injuries in automobile crashes J Oral Maxillofac Surg 41 241 244 1983
- Kahnberg KE Gothberg AT LeFort fractures. (I) A study of frequency, etiology and treatments Int J Oral Masillofac Surg 16 154 159 1987
- Karlson TA The incidence of hospital-treated facial injuries from vehicles J Trauma 22 4 303 310 1982
- LeFort R Experimental study of fractures of the upper jaw, Part III Plast Reconstr Surg 50 4 600 607 1972
- Lee KF Wagner LK Lee YE Suh JH Lee SR The impact-absorbing effects of facial fractures in closed-head injuries. An analysis of 210 patients J Neurosurg 66 542 547 1987
- Luce EA Tubb TD Moore AM Review of 1,000 major facial fractures and associated injuries Plastic Reconstr Surg 63 1 26 30 1979
- Manson PN Hoopes JE Su CT Structural pillars of the facial skeleton: an approach to the management of Le Fort fractures Plastic Reconstr Sucg 66 1 54 61 1980
- Manson PN Crawley WA Yaremchuk MJ Rochman GM Hoopes JE French JH Jr Midface fractures: advantages of immediate extended open reduction and bone grafting Plastic Reconstr Surg 76 1 10 1985
- Manson PN Some thoughts on the classification and treatment of Le Fort fractures Ann Plastic Surg 17 5 356 362 1986
- Marcus JH Blodgett R Priorities of automobile crash safety based on impairment Eleventh International Technical conf on Experimental Safety Vehicles Washington, D.C. May 1987
- McCoy FJ Chandler RA Magnan CG Jr Moore JR Siemsen G An analysis of facial fractures and their complications Plast Reconstr Surg 29 4 381 391 Apr 1962
- McDermott FT Klug GL Injury profile of pedal and motor cyclist casual ties in Victoria Aust NZ J Surg 55 477 483 1985
- Melvin JW Fuller PM Roberts VL Frangible head form development Phase I: A six month study of the effects of localized impact on tissue Report PO No: NP-47-356319 Highway Safety Research Institute Ann Arbor, MI February 1969
- Nahum AM Gatts JD Gadd CW Danforth J Impact tolerance of the skull and face Proc 12th Stapp Car Crash Conf Society of Automotive Engineers New York 1968 302 316
- Nyquist GW Cavanaugh JM Goldberg SJ King AI Facial impact tolerance and response Proc 30th Stapp Car Crash Conf Society of Automotive Engineers Warrendale, PA 1986 379 400
- Otte Dietmar Residual injuries to restrained car-occupants in front and rear-seat positions Eleventh International Technical Conf on Experimental Safety Vehicles Washington, D.C. May 1987
- Peck RHL The pattern of maxillo-facial injuries in Singapore Ann Acad Med 9 3 374 379 1980
- Petty SPF Fenn MA A modified steering wheel to reduce facial injuries and an associated test procedure Tenth International Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Oxford, England July 1-4, 1985 342 347
- Sances A Jr Yoganandan N The societal impact of biomechanics Proc IEEE/EMBS 10th Ann Intl Conf New Orleans, LA Nov 4-7, 1988
- Sances A Jr Yoganandan N Human head injury tolerance Mechanisms of Head and Spine Trauma Sances A Jr Thomas DJ Ewing CL Larson SJ Unterharnscheidt F Aloray Publisher Goshen, NY 1986 189 218
- Sances A Jr Weber RC Larson SJ Cusick JF Myklebust JB Walsh PR Bioengineering analysis of head and spine injuries CRC Critical Reviews in Bioengineering 5 2 79 122 1981
- Schneider DC Biomechanics of Facial Bone Injury: Experimental Aspects The Biomechanics of Trauma Appleton-Century-Crofts, Publisher 1985 281 299
- Schneider DC Nahum AM Impact studies of facial bones and skull Proc 16th Stapp Car Crash Conf Society of Automotive Engineers New York 1972 186 203
- Swearingen JJ Tolerances of the human face to crash impact Office of Aviation Medicine Federal Aviation Agency Oklahoma City, OK July 1965 24
- Tessier P Hemmy D Three dimensional imaging in medicine. A critique by surgeons Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg 20 3 11 1986
- Weymuller EA Jr Blindness and LeFort III fractures Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 93 2 5 1984
- Yoganandan N Sances A Jr Maiman DJ Myklebust JB Pech P Larson SJ Experimental spinal injuries with vertical impact Spine 11 9 1986 855 860
- Zuby D Steering Assembly Induced Facial Injury ASME Winter Ann Mtg American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boston, MA Dec 13-18 1987 9