Unembalmed cadavers restrained with a three point harness were exposed to a deceleration environment of 20, 30 and 40 mph BEV.* Injuries were tabulated from detailed autopsies. The results Indicate an AIS-1 injury at 25.5 mph, an AIS-2 injury at 31.5 mph and an AIS-3 injury at 34.5 mph. The AIS-3 injury level is recommended as the maximum acceptable injury.
The cadavers sustained the same types of injury that have been reported in medical literature including bruises, abrasions, lacerations, fractures and viscera ruptures, but injury severities were greater in the cadavers than in living humans at a given collision severity. Also, there is a wide spread in the degree of injury between cadavers due to differences in age and physical condition. The threshold of cadaver rib fracture is 30 mph and the threshold of cadaver vertebral fracture is between 30 and 40 mph for the environment utilized.
More numerous and severe abdominal injuries were observed. They were attributed to excessive submarining as a result of no restraint from the instrument panel and leg muscles of the cadavers. It is concluded that the cadaver is an excellent means of studying the types of injuries to be expected from a collision environment.