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Head-Impact Testing of Polyurethane Energy-Abosrbing (EA) Foams
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Abstract
In August, 1995, the federal government enacted legislation (amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact”) which is designed to improve occupant safety by reducing head and neck injuries received during impacts with the automobile interior. This legislation is significant in that all automobiles, trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4535 kg (10,000 lb) or less must meet the new federal standard after the 2002 model year.
The testing of potential countermeasures to this legislation (e.g., padding materials and component designs) is key towards developing materials which meet the requirements. As a result, modifications have been made to an in-house dynamic sled impact tester enabling head-impact testing to be performed. This ability allows for the coordinated development, testing and screening of energy-absorbing (EA) polyurethane foams for head-impact protection. These modifications, which are reversible, allow testing under both high-speed dynamic impact as well as head-impact conditions. The new test configuration records the acceleration of a free-motion headform (FMH) undergoing a 6.7 m/s (15 mph) impact with test materials that simulate head impacts with the automobile interior. From this data, HIC(d) values for a variety of foams may be calculated and compared.
The head-impact tester has been used to investigate the impact performance of different types of polyurethane EA foams. Results which compare two different polyurethane foams, a recoverable foam and a rigid foam, will be presented. The dependence of the head-impact properties on foam type, density and thickness as well as foam-cover interactions will also be presented.
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Citation
Sounik, D., Gansen, P., Clemons, J., and Liddle, J., "Head-Impact Testing of Polyurethane Energy-Abosrbing (EA) Foams," SAE Technical Paper 970160, 1997, https://doi.org/10.4271/970160.Also In
References
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Head Impact Protection Federal Register August 18 1995 60 160 43031
- Kanianthra, J. Upper Interior Head Impact Protection of Occupants in Real World Crashes SAE TOPTEC, Head Impact Protection in Automobiles; The 201 Legislation Ruling September 11-12 1995
- Sounik, D. McCullough, D. Clemons, J. Liddle, J. Dynamic Impact Testing of Polyurethane Energy-Absorbing (EA) Foams SAE Technical Paper No. 940879 1994 b). Clemons, J. Liddle, J. Jenny, J. Sled Dynamic Impact Characterization of Polyurethane EA Foams for Enhanced Passenger Protection and Bumper Applications Proceedings of the SPI Polyurethanes Conference 538 1995
- Thompson-Colón, J. Huber, M. Liddle, J. Fundamental Studies of Polyurethane Foam for Energy Absorption in Automotive Interiors SAE Technical Paper No. 910404 1991 b). McCullough, D. Pakulsky, B. Liddle, J. Polyurethane Foam for Automotive Knee Bolsters SAE Technical Paper No. 920336 1992
- McCullough, D. Frick, T. Crater, G. Seagrave, T. Tranquill, J. All-Polyurethane Modular Bumper Systems 34th Annual SPI Technical/Marketing Conference 220 1992 b). Allen, P. McCullough, D. Soo, T. Extruded Aluminum Bumper System SAE Technical Paper No. 940159 1994