ROLLOVER: A METHODOLOGY FOR RESTRAINT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT. IN: OCCUPANT AND VEHICLE RESPONSES IN ROLLOVERS

Previous analysis of the data from vehicle rollovers indicate the high probability of ejection and consequent serious injury or death to unbelted occupants. Partial ejection of belted occupants may also occur. Restraint development has focused on belt technologies and on airbag systems as methods to reduce ejection and injury risk. In this chapter, from a comprehensive text about occupant and vehicle responses in rollovers, the authors contend that effective restraint development must consider a combined approach of field injury data analysis, computer simulation of rollover, corresponding validated test data, and hardware development techniques. The authors report on a study that follows these steps. After validating the occupant kinematics, models of an inflatable curtain bag were then placed in the baseline model to evaluate the benefits on both belted and unbelted occupants. Based on the results, the authors developed a methodology that allowed the curtain hardware to be developed based on a simple linear impact test. The development parameters include the curtain chamber layout, pressure requirements, and anti-ejection capabilities of the restraint system. The authors conclude that their overall approach has basis in biomechanical tolerance and defines the necessary requirements and subsequent restraint solutions for improved occupant protection in a contemporary crash issue.