This is a revised application. Side airbags are increasingly used in the automotive world. Torso side airbags are designed to protect the chest of the occupant and are often available with head-curtain side airbags. Field data are primarily anecdotal regarding the efficacy of side airbags, principally because they are still nascent. A primary focus of the proposed project is to evaluate the efficacy of torso side airbags with respect to the older occupant. Recent data from government consumer crash tests reveals that torso side airbags do not always improve the safety performance of a vehicle. Also, data from our local trauma center indicates that occupants over 59 may have 3 or 4 times the number of rib fractures than a young person in a similar side impact crash. The working hypothesis of the project is that torso side airbags mitigate chest trauma and do not increase the injury spectrum to the rib cage of older occupants. The hypothesis is based on the biomechanical knowledge that, when properly positioned, airbags absorb energy, which would have otherwise been imparted to the occupant in a lateral impact, thus minimizing trauma. We also hypothesize that when an out-of-position scenario is added to the fragility of the older driver, the risk of injury and harm from the impact might have a combination effect. For torso side airbags, such scenarios need to be clearly defined before an evaluation of its efficacy can be made. It is our hypothesis that, just as children are the vulnerable group that may receive disbenefit from frontal airbags, the older driver may be the vulnerable group that receives disbenefit from side airbags. The characteristic features of the research design include the use of a full-scale sled to conduct whole-body side impact simulations at velocities representative of field data; the use of torso side airbags representative of the modern vehicle fleet; various transducers to obtain chest deformations; and a detailed autopsy to carefully identify and document injuries, including number of rib fractures. This multifaceted design will duplicate side impacts in a controlled laboratory environment for in-position and out-of-position occupants for young and old age groups.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01AG024443-01A1
Application #
6983100
Study Section
Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section (MRS)
Program Officer
Elias, Jeffrey W
Project Start
2005-08-15
Project End
2008-07-31
Budget Start
2005-08-15
Budget End
2006-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$247,773
Indirect Cost
Name
Medical College of Wisconsin
Department
Neurosurgery
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
937639060
City
Milwaukee
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53226
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A (2011) Door velocity and occupant distance affect lateral thoracic injury mitigation with side airbag. Accid Anal Prev 43:829-39
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A (2011) Technique for chestband contour shape-mapping in lateral impact. J Biomech 44:2328-32
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, N; Pintar, Frank A (2010) Thoracic injury metrics with side air bag: stationary and dynamic occupants. Traffic Inj Prev 11:433-42
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A (2010) Biomechanical and injury response to posterolateral loading from torso side airbags. Stapp Car Crash J 54:227-57
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, Narayan A; Pintar, Frank A (2009) Characterization of torso side airbag aggressivity - biomed 2009. Biomed Sci Instrum 45:101-6
Hallman, Jason J; Brasel, Karen J; Yoganandan, Narayan et al. (2009) Splenic trauma as an adverse effect of torso-protecting side airbags: biomechanical and case evidence. Ann Adv Automot Med 53:13-24
Hallman, Jason J; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A (2008) TORSO SIDE AIRBAG OUT-OF-POSITION EVALUATION USING STATIONARY AND DYNAMIC OCCUPANTS. Biomed Sci Instrum 44:123-128
Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A; Stemper, Brian D et al. (2007) Biomechanics of side impact: injury criteria, aging occupants, and airbag technology. J Biomech 40:227-43
Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A; Gennarelli, Thomas A (2007) High-speed 3-D kinematics from whole-body lateral impact sled tests. Biomed Sci Instrum 43:40-5
Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A; Zhang, Jiangyue et al. (2007) Lateral impact injuries with side airbag deployments--a descriptive study. Accid Anal Prev 39:22-7