THE INFLUENCE OF FORCE LIMITER TO THE INJURY SEVERITY BY USING A 3-POINT BELT AND DRIVER AIR BAG IN FRONTAL COLLISIONS

This study asks if it possible to obtain both the thoracic injury mitigating benefits of an air bag only restraint and the all-impact-direction benefits of the belt from a restraint system combination by adding a force limiter to the shoulder belt. For this reason, tests with force limiters were performed. The force limiter with the level of 4 kN showed, through examination of the chest band contours, a more bag like uniform compression of the chest and reduces therefore the injury risk. Non or AIS 1 injuries were found in the cervical spine and AIS 0 to AIS 1 was observed in the thorax, even in the age range 60 to 65 years. The chest compression amounts to 4 to 8 cm, and the resultant vertebral accelerations were in the average 30 to 40 g's; at these levels the thorax of the most cadavers remained uninjured or an injury severity of AIS 2 was observed. It is concluded that when a driver side air bag is combined with a 3-point belt system that limits the torso belt loop load to 4 kN, additional injury mitigation benefits for both the cervical spine and the thorax are obtained in frontal collisions. [A] For the covering abstract, see IRRD 896528.