International Dynamic Testing for Whiplash Matthew Avery Thatcham May 2005

1
International Dynamic Testing forWhiplashMatthew
Avery ThatchamMay 2005
Thatcham
2
Thatcham
3
Safety Improvements The role of the consumer test
4
Soft Tissue Neck Injuries - Whiplash UK Insurer
Perspective

• Whiplash The most frequently reported injury in
  motor vehicle crashes
• 10 of injuries long term (1 month)
• 1 of injuries permanent
• Predominantly occurs in rear crashes
• 250 000 cases annually in UK
• Current homologation requirements do not address
  issue

5
UK WAD Problem?
6
UK Motor Insurance Costs UK Insurer Costs
70 Material Damage
6 Security
24 Personal Injury
10 Billion
7
UK Motor Insurance Costs UK Insurer Costs
Costing the UK Insurance Industry approx 2
Billion Annually
8
Soft Tissue Neck Injuries - Whiplash Fundamentals
What DO and DONT know

• Whiplash Caused by the rapid differential
  movement of the OC relative to T1
• Injury mechanisms subject of many years of
  international research but still poorly
  understood
• Injury criteria proposed
• NIC (Neck Injury Criteria)
• NKm
• Rebound Velocity
• Relate to unproven theoretical injury
  mechanisms

9
Head Restraints Real World Usage
10
Head Restraints Real World Usage
11
Head restraint measuring device
12
Thatcham Geometric rating for head
restraintsInternational standard through RCAR
4
2
Distance above/below top of average males head
0
-2
-4
good
-6
acceptable
-8
marginal
-10
poor
-12
-14
-16
-18
backset (cm)
13
Most head restraints have Acceptable Good
Geometry Thatcham evaluations in model years
2001 and 2004
2001
2004
Marginal
Good
Acceptable
14
Improved head restraint geometry reduced injury
claimsFarmer, Wells Lund (IIHS, 2002)
1999 Ford Taurus
Neck Injury rear crashes - 24
Neck injury Rear crashes - 20
2003 Ford Taurus
15
Seats with initially acceptable/good geometry
dont always perform well dynamically
Seat height adjustor failure seatback deflection
defeat good geometry
Too soft head restraint defeats acceptable height
16
International Insurance Whiplash Prevention
Group Dynamic Whiplash testing aims

• Develop dynamic tests and evaluation criteria to
  compare and rate seat and head restraint designs
  for consumer information
• Encourage manufacturers to design and develop
  effective anti-whiplash systems to reduce real
  world injuries
• Ultimately establish minimum neck protection
  requirements for regulation

17
International Insurance Whiplash Prevention
Group Members and Countries A global community

• Thatcham - UK
• IIHS USA
• GDV Germany
• Folksam - Sweden
• IAG Australia
• ICBC Canada
• Cesvi - Spain

18
The IIWPG dynamic test
19
The Three principles of the IIWPG Seat
Assessment Test

• 1. Require adequate geometry to protect all
  occupants
• 2. Encourage the adoption of seat design
  attributes shown to reduce whiplash injury
• Limit acceleration of the torso
• Limit time until head is supported by head
  restraint
• 3. Reduce the work the neck does in a rear crash
• Limit neck tension force
• Limit neck shear force

20
Dynamic test philosophy1. Geometry

• Seats with Marginal or Poor geometric ratings are
  rated Poor by default since they offer
  inadequate geometry
• Seats with Acceptable or Good geometry are tested
  to the 16 Km/h dynamic test
• Ratings are based on their dynamic performance
  but in some cases are modified to ensure
  protection of taller adults

21
Dynamic test philosophy2. Seat Evaluation
Criteria

• Control the energy transferred to the occupant
  during the crash by limiting thoracic
  accelerations (Volvo Whips)
• T1 acceleration Limit 9.5g
• Limit the time with which the head is unsupported
  by the head restraint (Saab 95)
• HRC limit (70ms)
• Seat Evaluation Criteria PASS or FAIL

22
Examples of Seats with good seat design
characteristicsSaab 93 with reactive HR and
Volvo V70
Saab 93 HR contact 47 ms
WHIPS T1xg 6.7
23
Real World Injury ReductionReduction of neck
injury claims in rear crashes by seat compared
with predecessors
24
Dynamic test philosophy3. Limit the work the
neck does in a rear crash by limiting
neck tension and rear shear forces
Neck shear force
Neck tension
25
Dynamic test philosophy3. Neck Force Ratings

• Reduce the work the neck does in a rear crash by
  limiting neck tension and neck shear forces
• Upper neck Force and Tension limits based upon
  bi-variant joint probability distribution scheme
• Thresholds based on 30thile and 75thiles of
  European and US seats tested (250)
• Zones give ratings of Low , Moderate or High neck
  forces

26
Neck forces will be graded on a scale of low,
moderate, and high
27
(No Transcript)
28
Dynamic Rating based on sled test result
PASS
FAIL
29
(No Transcript)
30
2005 IIWPG Dynamic Tests Small Cars Poor to
Good
GOOD Ford Focus II
MARGINAL BMW 1 Series
31
Dynamic Test ComparisonA Good and Poor Performer
32
Thatcham (IIWPG) Ratings International launch of
ratings in Europe, North America and Australia
33
IIWPG Dynamic Test RatingsPublication of 2005
dynamic results

• Results launched Internationally on November 15th
• 125 European by Thatcham
• 97 US by IIHS
• November 15th Global whiplash results release
• Thatcham, GDV, IAG (European)
• IIHS, ICBC, IAG (North American)
• Results fed into Euro NCAP

34
Thatcham Seat Ratings125 Cars seats rated
WWW.Thatcham.org
35
2005 IIWPG Dynamic Tests Thatcham (Europe)
evaluations of Dynamic Tests Results - Percentage
24
Marginal
Good
Acceptable
36
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Seat
Ratings97 Car seats rated
WWW.highwaysafety.org
37
2005 IIWPG Dynamic Tests IIHS (USA) evaluations
of Dynamic Tests Results - Percentage
17
55
Marginal
Good
Acceptable
38
Will Dynamic Testing Lead to better designs?Its
already driving new designs...
VW Golf mk 5 Acceptable
VW Golf mk 4 Poor
39
Even better protection Future design concepts
driven by IIWPG dynamic testing
Active Head Restraint Keiper
Active Head Restraint CRH
40
IIWPG and Thatcham The future2005 research and
launch

• Research into High severity 25 Km/h pulse
  (EuroNCAP)
• Research into Low severity pulses (10, 16 Km/h)
• Research for EuroNCAP WAD group
• IIWPG Test program formulation for 2006 MY
• 16 Km/h seat requests issued March 05
• 16 Km/h tests to commence June 05
• 2006 MY launch November 2005 (International
  Launch Thatcham/IIHS

41
WWW.Thatcham.org
42
(No Transcript)