Characteristics of 3.5 kg pedestrian headform impactor prototypes developed by JAMA–JARI and ACEA–TNO

Abstract

In 2004, the officially announced Japanese standard for the evaluation of car–front safety performance in terms of pedestrian child head protection required a 3.5 kg headform impactor as a test tool simulating a child pedestrian head. Currently, ACEA–TNO have jointly developed a 3.5 kg headform impactor in Europe. The primary aim of the present study is to investigate the availability of the 3.5 kg ACEA–TNO headform impactor in terms of the Japanese standard. Meanwhile, JAMA–JARI have together developed a 3.5 kg headform impactor in Japan. The secondary aim of our study is to present the physical characteristics and measured head injury criteria (HIC) of the JAMA–JARI and ACEA–TNO headform impactors obtained here as a point of reference for the formulation of the Global Technical Regulation (GTR) standards now under way. The technical specifications regarding mass, outer diameter, moment of inertia, location of centre of gravity, seismic mass location of accelerometers, natural frequency, and biofidelity of these headform impactor prototypes were investigated for each of the respective JAMA–JARI and ACEA–TNO headform impactor prototypes. The skin performance of these prototypes was also determined in terms of Shore hardness, relation of compressive force and deformation, high-velocity certification characteristic, and impact durability against a car bonnet. HIC obtained by both prototypes in car-front impact tests at various locations were also discussed.