Set of injury risk curves for different sizes and ages

When new crash test dummy hardware becomes available it is important to establish howthe measurements taken with that tool relate to a risk of injury. THORAX is a collaborativemedium-scale project under the EC Seventh Framework. It focuses on the reduction andprevention of thoracic injuries. Within the project an improved understanding of thoracicinjury mechanisms has been implemented in an updated design for the thorax-shouldercomplex of the THOR dummy. The new dummy hardware, referred to as the THORAXdemonstrator, has been evaluated in a number of biomechanical test conditions. The datafrom these tests has provided the opportunity to compare those data with injury outcomedata under equivalent loading conditions. This report describes that comparison and theresulting injury risk curves developed.When developing injury risk functions for a new dummy it is common practice to repeat testscarried out with post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) with the crash test dummy. Matcheddummy data and injury records from the PMHS tests are then used in the development ofinjury risk functions. Other approaches involve collection of real world accident events thathave been recreated with the dummy in the laboratory. Both of these approaches have beenadopted in this study.Injury risk functions are commonly developed for the average male in terms of size and age.However, age, gender and size influence the risk of injury for a given crash condition. Crashtest dummies that take these differences into account may be developed in the future.However, as part of the THORAX project advanced scaling methods have been developedthat can be used to modify the injury risk functions to account for gender and different sizes.Thereby the measurements obtained in crash tests with the THORAX demonstrator can beused to predict the risk for other occupant categories than those that are close to the averagemale.By providing the automotive industry with a superior crash test dummy, the new THORAXdemonstrator, associated injury risk functions and scaling techniques it is expected thatimproved restraint systems will be developed that lead to a reduction of chest injuries