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Validating Lower Limb Injury Mechanisms in Side Impact Crashes
Technical Paper
2003-06-0174
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
Lower extremity (LE) injuries sustained in side impact car
crashes are debilitating due to the loss of weight bearing function
and long rehabilitation times. In Australia such injuries rank
third in terms of Harm after the head and thorax. Moreover, it is
estimated around 20% of the total annual motor vehicle trauma
treatment costs are devoted to rehabilitation of such injuries.
Regulatory design rules protecting the knee, lower leg and
ankle/foot in side-impact crashes do not exist. However, in order
to adopt sensible mitigation strategies and appropriate design
rules, it is essential to identify and validate injury
mechanisms.
While considerable work has been carried out identifying lower
limb injuries occurring in frontal crashes, little work has been
carried out regarding side-impacts. Three injury mechanisms,
identified from a real-world, side-impact, case-study analysis
carried out at Monash University were proposed at a Melbourne
crashworthiness conference in 2002. MADYMO computer models
simulating near- and far-side occupants in three typical crash
scenarios were constructed. Occupant kinematics and force outputs
from the models were compared with the injuries and hence the
mechanisms identified in the study.
Results from the simulations were compared to published, known
injury tolerances and are presented in this paper. Injury
countermeasures for these three side-impact configurations are also
discussed.