Citation

Chirwa EC, Wang W. Int. J. Crashworthiness 1997; 2(2): 165-190.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The principal objective of head restraint systems is to minimise the severity of injuries to the occupant's head and neck in the event of rear impact. This can be achieved if the headrest is of adequate stiffness, appropriately absorbs the kinetic energy through the deformation of the material ahead of the support frame, allows a steady sinking of the head relative to the torso and eliminates the head rotation. This paper assesses these attributes and develops a criterion for qualifying head restraint systems. It presents some experimental results obtained from eighteen randomly selected existing headrests and compares the mechanics of failure, energy absorption capabilities and the HIC values with the developed mechanical airbag head restraint systems proposed herein for the first time. The study shows that airbag headrests protect occupants better than the existing stiff head restraint systems found in current vehicles.

Language: en