A comparison of the Q3 and Hybrid III 3-year-old crash test
dummies is presented in this paper. The performance of the dummies
were compared in sixty biofidelity tests, seventy-seven static
out-of-position airbag tests and sixty- three calibration tests.
Various time histories and other data pertaining to accelerations,
deflections, forces and moments are compared. In addition, the ease
of positioning, handling, and the durability of the dummies in
various out- of-position test configurations was assessed.
Both the Q3 and Hybrid III 3-year-old dummies were calibrated to
their respective specifications. The Hybrid III 3-year-old met its
calibration requirements, while the Q3 did not always meet its own
calibration requirements. The calibration specifications of the Q3
dummy need to be re-examined and possibly refined.
The biofidelity of the Q3 and Hybrid III 3-year-old dummies were
evaluated in both frontal and lateral test modes. Each dummy was
evaluated against its own and the other''s specified
requirements, when possible. In the frontal test mode, the Hybrid
III 3-year-old acceptably met all of its requirements. The Q3 dummy
did not meet all of its own frontal biofidelity requirements. Based
on these results, the Hybrid III 3-year-old is more biofidelic for
primarily frontal loading conditions.
With respect to the lateral biofidelity specifications, neither
the Hybrid III 3-year-old nor the Q3 dummy met the requirements for
the thorax and pelvis tests performed. Both dummies met the head
drop requirements. Neither dummy is recommended for lateral loading
conditions. For lateral testing where only the head is impacted,
the Hybrid III 3-year-old could be used.
In general, the responses of both dummies were repeatable in
both the frontal and lateral biofidelity tests performed.
The Hybrid III 3-year-old and the Q3 dummies were evaluated in
static out- of-position airbag tests with three different side
airbag systems (two seat- mounted and one door-mounted system), and
one frontal passenger airbag system. Throughout this testing, the
Q3 resultant head accelerations exhibited an excessive amount of
high-frequency noise causing this dummy to be unacceptable for
static out-of-position airbag testing. No significant issues were
found with the Hybrid III 3-year-old.
It was also determined that the Q3 dummy was more difficult to
position repeatedly than the Hybrid III 3-year-old. This was due to
the dummy''s construction and its lack of rigid
landmarks.