Biomechanical simulation of whiplash - some implications for seat design

Significant progress in car occupant safety has been made through the use o f safety devices such as airbags and seat belts, as well as in the construc tion of the car body itself. Much still needs to be done, however, in order to satisfy increasingly stringent legislation and public demand. This work deals with the problem of whiplash injuries which so far, due to difficult ies in diagnosis, have been very difficult to investigate let alone prevent . A new advanced biomechanical FE model of the head-neck complex has been c reated and combined with the Hybrid III FE dummy model, which is an industr y standard for occupant safety. The final model has been used to study whip lash accidents for a representative range of car seats. The simulation clea rly shows the effects of seat back stiffness and head restraint position. I t also illustrates the unique contribution that is possible for combined bi omechanical/dummy modelling in vehicle safety design. considering a simple whiplash protection device.