Technical challenges in replicating serious head injuries in a dynamic rollover test

The complexity of a dynamic rollover test poses many challenges in the evaluation of its outcome and the prediction of serious injuries. The choice of an anthropomorphic test device (ATD), its initial position, restraint method, and included instrumentation can all affect the measurements made during a test. Further, impacts sustained by an ATD may not necessarily be representative of real world scenarios due to inconsistencies in its biofidelity compared to a human. The results of dynamic rollover tests, performed using different devices including the Jordan Rollover System (JRS), were analysed to determine how different methods of test setup and vehicle performance affected the measured head response of an ATD. The head contact locations of the ATDs were compared to the head injury locations of occupants in rollover crashes collected from the National Automotive Sampling Systemrs Crashworthiness Data System (NASS CDS). The results indicate that pre-test ATD positioning and in-test ATD movement are the most important factors with regard to head response. Overall the results indicate that the methods and instrumentation, including the ATD, previously used for conducting dynamic rollover tests on the JRS may not be adequate to produce and measure ATD head response that is both indicative of serious head injury and empirically sound.