Citation

Cesari D, Cavallero C, Farisse J, Bonnoit J. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1985; 29: 275-285.

Affiliation

ONSER, Lab des Chocs et de Biomecanique, Bron, France; Faculté de Médecine de Marseille - Secteur Nord, Marseille, France

Copyright

(Copyright © 1985, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In order to improve the knowledge in the field of pedestrian injuries and protection, series of cadaver and dummy tests were performed. This paper analyses the results of 20 pedestrian tests performed with car platform fitted with an adjustable front end. The effects of speed and bumper height on leg loadings and leg kinematics are analyzed. Analysis of bumper/leg impacts in pedestrian tests performed with a car platform fitted with an adjustable bumper allows us to draw the following conclusions:

- The shearing force on the leg induced by the bumper increases greatly with the impact speed.

- Changing the bumper height has a very small effect on the bumper/leg force.

- The lateral deformation of the knee of the right leg (impacted first) is greatly dependant from the bumper height. The lowest tested value - 300 mm - corresponds to a negative small knee angle, and for a 600 mm bumper height the knee angle is multiplied by more than 5.

- The knee angle increases also with the impact speed but the effect of this parameter is not so important.

- The effect of bumper height on knee angle has been found also on cadavers.

- In tests performed at 32 km/h the cadavers sustained AIS 3 leg injuries even with a bumper height as low as 380 mm.