The effect of impact velocity angle on helmeted head impact severity : A rationale for motorcycle helmet impact test design

The impact velocity angle determined by the normal and tangential velocity has been shown to be an important description of head impact conditions but can vary in real-world accidents. The objective of this paper was to investigate the effect of impact velocity angle on helmeted head impact severity indicated by the brain tissue strain. The human body model coupled with a validated motorcycle helmet model was propelled at a constant resultant velocity but varying angle relative to a rigid surface. Different body angles, impact directions and helmet designs have also been incorporated in the simulation matrix (n=300). The results show an influence of impact velocity angle on brain tissue strain response. By aggregating all simulation cases into different impact velocity angle groups, i.e., 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 degrees, a 30- or 45-degree angle group give the highest median and inter-quartile range of the peak brain tissue strain. Comparisons of strain pattern and its peak value between individual cases give consistent results. The brain tissue strain is less sensitive to the body angle than to the velocity angle. The study suggests that UN/ECE 22.05 can be improved by increasing the current 'oblique' angle, i.e. 15 degrees inclined to vertical axis, to a level that can produce sufficient normal velocity component and hence angular head motion. This study also underline the importance of understanding post-impact head kinematics, and the need for further evaluation of human body models.QC 20190329. QC 20191021