In order to evaluate the THOR-50M as a front impact Anthropomorphic Test Device
(ATD) for vehicle safety design, the ATD was compared to the H3-50M in matching
vehicle crash tests for 20 unique vehicle models from 2 vehicle manufacturers.
For the belted driver condition, a total of fifty-four crash tests were
investigated in the 56.3 km/h (35 mph) front rigid barrier impact condition.
Four more tests were compared for the unbelted driver and right front passenger
at 40.2 km/h (25 mph) in the flat frontal and 30-degree right oblique rigid
barrier impact conditions. The two ATDs were also evaluated for their ability to
predict injury risk by comparing their fleet average injury risk to Crash
Investigation Sampling System (CISS) accident data for similar conditions. The
differences in seating position and their effect on ATD responses were also
investigated.
This study showed that the belted THOR-50M injury responses were higher than the
H3-50M by 25%-180%, in all reported ATD responses, except chest acceleration.
For one unbelted condition, the THOR-50M reported 200%-300% higher neck
responses than the H3-50M, primarily due to head contact to the roof structure
in a mid-sized sedan. The THOR-50M overpredicted the injury risk based on chest
deflection compared to the CISS accident data by at least a factor of 4 times.
The THOR-50M also overpredicted the injury risk based on BrIC by at least a
factor of 10 times. Future work is needed to investigate these overpredictions
with respect to ATD construction, injury risk curves, and seating
procedures.
