Laboratory Study of Hybrid-III and THOR Dummy Head/neck Responses to Airbag Load at Close Proximity

An experimental study of the differences in head/neck responses to airbag load at close proximity between the Hybrid III and THOR dummies has been conducted using the pneumatically driven Airbag Test Simulator (ATS) as the test platform. Tests were conducted at the ISO-1 and ISO-2 positions using two different airbags. Data show significant differences between Hybrid III and THOR in their head/neck responses to airbag loads. Hybrid III generally measures stronger head/neck loads than THOR. THOR data indicate strong differences between muscle load and occipital condyle load. Data confirm THOR's capability to distinguish the total head/neck cross-section load from the occipital condyle pin load. The results provide guidance in developing advanced dummies for crash injury research and criteria development.