Q-Series Child Dummy FE model development and validation for child occupant safety assessment in Automotive crashes

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India has established BHARAT NCAP to provide a fair, meaningful, and objective assessment of the crash safety performance of cars. This program evaluates vehicles across three key areas, including Child Occupant Protection (COP). A critical component of the COP assessment involves dynamic testing using Q-series child dummies representing a 1½-year-old (Q1.5) and a 3-year-old child (Q3). As per the BHARAT NCAP protocol these dummies are placed in the second-row outboard seating position within Child Restraint Systems (CRSs) and subjected to two primary dynamic impact tests: Offset Deformable Barrier (ODB) conducted at speed of 64 km/hr. and Mobile Deformable Barrier (MDB) Side Impact tests conducted at 50 km/hr. The dynamic assessment of these child dummies is primarily focused on the head, neck, and chest regions to evaluate the effectiveness of the CRSs and overall vehicle safety system in protecting young occupants during crash events. This assessment provides crucial information to consumers regarding the safety of vehicles for child occupants and help them towards decision making to buy a vehicle. The finite element models of Q dummies are extensively used in development, evaluation, optimization, and prototyping of the restraint system concepts. To ensure the accuracy of these models under dynamic impact tests, Humanetics Q dummy models are further validated through additional component, assembly, and full-body tests in addition to certification requirements. This paper presents these additional validations of Q dummies, with a focus on improving response accuracy in critical body regions. The validations were performed under frontal and side impact loading conditions to strengthen the predictability of head and upper torso kinematics exhibited during dynamic impact tests. These enhancements increase confidence in the dummies’ ability to reliably predict child occupant injuries in NCAP crash scenarios.