Experimental analysis of whiplash injury with hybrid III 50 percentile test dummy

In this study, the effects of sitting position of the driver on the whiplash neck injury have been analyzed experimentally by using hybrid III series 50 percentile male crash test dummy. A testing platform consisting of vehicle ground, driver foot rest, driver seat and a 3-point seatbelt has been prepared. This testing platform and the instrumented crash test dummy are prepared for tests according to the Euro NCAP whiplash testing protocol. The prepared test set-up has been exposed to 3 different acceleration-time loading curves defined in the Euro NCAP whiplash testing protocol by performing sled tests. 9 different sled tests have been performed with the combinations of 3 different seating positions of the crash test dummy and 3 different acceleration-time loading curves. The sensor data obtained from the crash test dummy and high-speed videos taken are analyzed according to the injury assessments criteria defined in the Euro NCAP whiplash testing protocol and the criticality of the whiplash injury is defined. It is seen that the backset distance of the driver head with the headrest and the height difference of the top of the head of the driver with the headrest have a great importance on whiplash injuries.