Abstract
The thoracic trauma index (TTI) and the viscous criterion (VC) are injury criteria intended for the prediction of torso injury severity. The criteria were assessed in two series of experiments: 90° (lateral) car to car collisions and controlled left trunk impacts against either a rigid or padded wall. Forty-two belt restrained human cadavers in the age range 18–65 years, located in the near-side front passenger seat, were used. The impact velocity was between 40 and 60 km/h. Left and right side impacts were simulated using standard or modified car side structures. With the second series of experiments, the left side of each subject was impacted under one of two different test conditions: 24 km/h rigid wall or 32 km/h padded wall. The thorax deformation was evaluated through the double integration of the accelerated difference at the fourth and eight ribs, near and far side. Deformation maxima of 6–138 mm (mean 69 mm), VC values of 0.3–4.7 m/s (mean 1.6 m/s), and TTI values of 85–252 (mean 63) occurred. Torso abbreviated injury severity (AIS) values were between 0 and 5. Statistical analyses showed a stronger influence of age on injury severity than the injury criteria or biomechanical responses in the two series of experiments. The TTI showed the highest correlation with thoracic AIS and the number of rib fractures, while VC was the better predictor of abdominal AIS. The results are discussed critically and the strength and robustness of the injury criteria analyzed.
Highlights
There is still considerable discussion regarding the most suitable injury criterion for use in 90° vehicle collisions
The thoracic trauma index (TTl) is a chest acceleration based measurement combined with anthropometric data that was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Eppinger et al, 1984; Morgan et al, 1986)
TTl is included in the Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 214 (FMVSS 214) for side impact protection
Summary
There is still considerable discussion regarding the most suitable injury criterion for use in 90° (lateral) vehicle collisions. The thoracic trauma index (TTl) is a chest acceleration based measurement combined with anthropometric data that was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Eppinger et al, 1984; Morgan et al, 1986). TTl is included in the Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 214 (FMVSS 214) for side impact protection. In FMVSS 214 the TTI(d) limit is 85 for four-door cars and 90 for two-door cars. Lau and Viano (1986) proposed the viscous criterion (VC), a temporal function formed by the product of deformation velocity, Vet), and instantaneous compression, e(t). At present VC is being considered as a criterion for European side impact protection
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