Anthropomorphic Test Dummy; Occupant Crash Protection

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 572

[Docket No. NHTSA-98-3972]

RIN 2127-AG76

Anthropomorphic Test Dummy; Occupant Crash Protection

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This document proposes to amend 49 CFR part 572 by adding

design and performance specifications for a new, more advanced 6-year-

old child dummy. The agency believes that the new dummy, part of the

family of Hybrid III test dummies, is more representative of humans

than the existing 6-year-old child dummy specified by the agency, and

allows the assessment of more types of potential injuries. The new

dummy is especially needed to evaluate the effects of air bag

deployment on children, but would also provide greater and more useful

information in a variety of environments to better evaluate child

safety. Adding the dummy to part 572 would be the first step toward

using the dummy to evaluate the safety of air bags for children. The

issue of specifying use of the dummy in determining compliance with

performance test requirements, e.g., as part of the agency's occupant

protection standard and/or child restraint standard, will be addressed

in future rulemakings.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number, and be submitted

to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20590 (Docket hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For nonlegal issues: Stan Backaitis,

Office of Crashworthiness Standards (telephone: 202-366-4912). For

legal issues: Edward Glancy, Office of the Chief Counsel (202-366-

2992). Both can be reached at the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On November 14, 1991, NHTSA published in the Federal Register (56

FR 57830) a final rule establishing specifications and performance

criteria for a test dummy representing a 6-year-old child. The

specifications and performance criteria were set forth as subpart I of

49 CFR part 572. The agency explained that adding the subpart I 6-year-

old child dummy to part 572 was a possible first step toward using the

dummy to test the compliance of booster seats and other types of child

restraint systems as part of Safety Standard No. 213, Child Restraint

Systems. The agency subsequently added the dummy to Standard No. 213 in

a final rule published in the Federal Register (60 FR 35126) on July 6,

1995.

In these rulemakings, NHTSA recognized that a more advanced 6-year-

old child dummy was under development, and the possible future

desirability of adopting such a dummy. In commenting on the agency's

proposal to add the subpart I dummy to Standard No. 213, the American

Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) suggested that the agency

instead add a 6-year-old child dummy based on the 50th percentile male

Hybrid III dummy. AAMA stated that this dummy had improved

anthropometric emulation, more human-like response, and superior

instrumentation capability.

NHTSA explained its decision to adopt the Subpart I 6-year-old

child dummy, rather than a more advanced dummy, as follows:

The issue of whether NHTSA should adopt the Hybrid III 6-year-

old dummy instead of the (Subpart I) dummy was addressed in the NPRM

and in the rule adopting the 6-year-old dummy specifications into

part 572. NHTSA's position has been that, while the Hybrid III dummy

might have potential advantages over the (Subpart I) dummy in the

number of injury parameters the dummies can measure, rulemaking on

the latter dummy should not be delayed pending assessment of the

performance of the new dummy. NHTSA stated in the part 572 final

rule:

The (Subpart I) dummy's ability to measure HIC, chest

acceleration and femur loads, and its ability to replicate the

motions and excursions of a child in a crash are sufficient to

provide valid assessment of the injury potential of child restraint

systems in a reliable manner. Since the (Subpart I) dummy is ready

now, and a final rule specifying the dummy will help improve safety,

the agency believes it is appropriate to proceed with adding the

dummy to part 572.

Likewise, NHTSA believes rulemaking adopting use of a 6-year-old

dummy in Standard 213 compliance tests should not be delayed pending

evaluation of the suitability and availability of the dummy as a

test

[[Page 35171]]

device. Such evaluation will be undertaken in the near future.

60 FR 35129-30.

While the desirability of a more advanced 6-year-old child dummy

has been apparent for a number of years, the need for such a dummy has

become more urgent with the emergence of the safety problems current

air bags pose for out-of-position children. Experience in using the

subpart I dummy has shown it to be adequate for the purpose of

evaluating child restraints for the injury criteria and test conditions

specified by Standard No. 213, but limited with respect to the types of

injury risks it can measure, particularly in an air bag environment.

For example, the neck of the subpart I dummy is not of multi-

segment design. Accordingly, it has less biofidelity in areas such as

impact responses in flexion and extension motion. Since neck injury is

one of the primary causes of fatalities to out-of-position children

from air bags, biofidelity is needed in these areas to evaluate the

effects of air bag deployment on children.

By contrast, the more advanced Hybrid III 6-year-old child dummy

(hereafter referred to as the H-III6C dummy) incorporates improved

biofidelity and extended measurement capability in many areas,

including those discussed above. Because of the greater biofidelity and

extended measurement capability of the H-III6C dummy, it can be used to

evaluate the safety of children in a much wider array of environments

than the Subpart I dummy, including assessing the effects of air bag

deployment on out-of-position children. The agency notes that the H-

III6C dummy is the only advanced 6-year-old child dummy that has been

developed to date.

The H-III6C dummy is part of a family of Hybrid III-type dummies.

The first Hybrid III dummy was a 50th percentile male dummy. NHTSA has

specified use of this dummy for compliance testing under Standard No.

208, Occupant Crash Protection, since 1986, initially on an optional

basis, and more recently on a mandatory basis.

The need for a family of Hybrid III-type dummies having

considerably improved biofidelity and anthropometry was recognized by

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1987 when it

awarded a contract to Ohio State University under the title

``Development for Multi-sized Hybrid III Based Dummy Family.'' At that

time, the funding covered only the development of a small female and a

large male dummy. However, CDC provided additional funding in 1989 to

develop a design foundation for a Hybrid III type 6-year-old child

dummy.

Development of the H-III6C has continued since then under the

guidance of the Hybrid III Dummy Family Task Force of SAE. NHTSA has

also been involved with development of the dummy, initially as an

observer in meetings of the SAE Task Force. As the development of the

dummy approached maturity, the agency began to prefer the use of the

dummy in its research programs, because of its advanced instrumentation

capability and better biofidelity.

NHTSA began substantial use of the H-III6C dummy in late 1994.

However, it found that inconsistencies in impact response and

durability problems necessitated modifications. This prevented the

agency from conducting an assessment of the dummy's capabilities as an

objective and stable test tool and its ability to function in a variety

of impact environments without structural deficiencies. The agency

advised the SAE Task Force of its interest in seeing the dummy

development accelerate and be brought to a quick conclusion because of

the need to support air bag safety assessment and better evaluation of

new child restraints. Subsequent testing of the dummy revealed

additional problems requiring additional redesigns in the neck and

thorax areas, which stretched the first availability of preproduction

dummies into midsummer 1997. At that time, the agency began an

extensive test and evaluation program of the dummy.

The agency has now completed its evaluation of the H-III6C dummy

and has tentatively concluded that it is ready for incorporation into

part 572. NHTSA is placing in the docket a technical report entitled

``Development and Evaluation of the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Child

Dummy.'' That report provides the technical information supporting this

rulemaking.

Accordingly, the agency is proposing specifications and performance

criteria for the H-III6C dummy. The specifications would consist of the

following three items:

(1) A drawings and specifications package entitled ``Drawings and

Specifications for the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy (May 1998)'';

(2) A user's manual entitled ``User's Manual for the Hybrid III 6-

Year-Old Dummy [a date would be inserted in the final rule]''; and

(3) A document entitled ``Printout of Descriptions of Patterns and

Molds for the Hybrid III 6-Year Old Dummy in Digital Form [a date would

be inserted in the final rule]'';

These specifications are intended to ensure that the dummies are

uniform in their construction and capable of uniform and repeatable

response in the impact environment. The agency notes that the first

item listed above, the drawings and specifications, will be available

for inspection in NHTSA's docket. (Since this item is non-scannable, it

cannot be placed in the DOT Dockets Management System (DMS). Instead a

statement indicating where it may be viewed, i.e., in NHTSA's docket,

will be placed in the DMS.) Copies may also be obtained from

Reprographic Technologies, 9000 Virginia Manor Road, Beltsville, MD

20705; Telephone: (301) 210-5600.

The user's manual and digital descriptions of patterns and molds

will not be available until the time of the final rule. The user's

manual will be similar to the user's manual specified by part 572 for

other dummies.

As with other dummies, NHTSA is proposing impact performance

criteria to serve as calibration checks, and to further assure the

kinematic uniformity of the dummy and the absence of damage from

previous use. The tests address head, neck, thorax and femur impact

responses and stiffness assessments of the lumbar spine-abdomen area to

torso flexion motion.

The agency is proposing generic specifications for all of the

dummy-based sensors. For most earlier dummies, the agency specified

sensors by make and model. However, NHTSA believes that approach is

unnecessarily restrictive.

The generic specifications that the agency is proposing include (1)

the uniaxial piezoresistive accelerometer designated as SA572-S4, (2)

force and moment transducers: upper neck SA572-S11, lumbar spine SA572-

S12, anterior-superior iliac spine load cell SA572-S13, single axis

femur load cell SA572-S10, and (3) the thorax-based chest deflection

potentiometer SA572-51. The proposed specifications essentially reflect

the characteristics of the sensors used in NHTSA's dummy evaluation

series that are identified by make and model in the above referenced

technical report ``Development and Evaluation of the Hybrid III 6-year-

old Child Dummy.'' Specifications for these sensors are included in the

drawing package. Interested persons are encouraged to comment on the

adequacy of the proposed specifications; potential impact on the

measured test data, including the comparability of data using sensors

manufactured by different companies; and issues related to calibration

assurance tests.

[[Page 35172]]

NHTSA notes that the H-III6C dummy is the first of several new

dummies it will propose to add to part 572. Later this year, the agency

plans to propose adding an advanced 3-year-old child dummy, the CRABI

12 month old child dummy, and the Hybrid III 5th percentile female

adult dummy. The agency intends to use these dummies in its rulemaking

for advanced air bags. All of these dummies could be specified for use

in a variety of potential Standard No. 208 tests, including static out-

of-position tests and/or various dynamic tests. The child dummies could

also be specified for use in Standard No. 213 tests.

This notice only concerns the H-III6C dummy, and is only proposing

to add the dummy to part 572. The issue of specifying the use of the H-

III6C dummy as part of Standard No. 208 or Standard No. 213 will be

addressed in future rulemakings However, since one of the primary

purposes of adding the dummy to part 572 is to enable it to be

specified for use in the Federal motor vehicle safety standards, NHTSA

encourages commenters to address its suitability for the types of tests

discussed above. The agency also encourages commenters to address the

dummy's suitability with respect to measuring potential injury

criteria.1

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\1\ For information concerning potential injury criteria, see

NHTSA Event Report, ``Techniques for Developing Child Dummy

Protection Reference Values,'' Docket No. NHTSA-1996-1772-70, and

SAE Human Biomechanics and Simulation Standards Committee comments

concerning that report, Docket No. NHTSA-1996-1772-94.

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Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

A. Executive Order 12866 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures

NHTSA has considered the impact of this rulemaking action under

Executive Order 12866 and the Department of Transportation's regulatory

policies and procedures. This rulemaking document was not reviewed by

the Office of Management and Budget under E.O. 12866, ``Regulatory

Planning and Review.'' The rulemaking action has been determined not to

be significant under the Department's regulatory policies and

procedures.

This document proposes to amend 49 CFR part 572 by adding design

and performance specifications for a new, more advanced 6-year old

child dummy which the agency may later separately propose for use in

the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. If this proposed rule

becomes final, it would affect only those businesses which choose to

manufacture or test with the dummy. It does not impose any requirements

on anyone.

The cost of an uninstrumented H-III6C dummy is approximately

$30,000. Instrumentation would add approximately $25,000 to $41,000 to

the cost, depending on the amount of instrumentation.

Because the economic impacts of this proposal are so minimal, no

further regulatory evaluation is necessary.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

NHTSA has considered the effects of this rulemaking action under

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) I hereby certify

that the proposed amendment would not have a significant economic

impact on a substantial number of small entities. The proposed

amendment would not impose or rescind any requirements for anyone.

Therefore, it would not have a significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

C. National Environmental Policy Act

NHTSA has analyzed this proposed amendment for the purposes of the

National Environmental Policy Act and determined that it would not have

any significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

D. Executive Order 12612 (Federalism)

The agency has analyzed this proposed amendment in accordance with

the principles and criteria set forth in Executive Order 12612. NHTSA

has determined that the proposed amendment does not have sufficient

federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a Federalism

Assessment.

Request for Comments

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on this proposal.

Two copies should be submitted.

All comments must not exceed 15 pages in length (49 CFR 553.21).

Necessary attachments may be appended to these submissions without

regard to the 15-page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage

commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim

of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including

purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to

the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and two

copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been

deleted should be submitted to the Docket Section. A request for

confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth

the information specified in the agency's confidential business

information regulation. 49 CFR part 512.

All comments received by NHTSA before the close of business on the

comment closing date indicated above will be considered, and will be

available for examination in the docket at the above address both

before and after that date. To the extent possible, comments filed

after the closing date will also be considered. Comments received too

late for consideration in regard to this action will be considered as

suggestions for further rulemaking action. Comments will be available

for inspection in the docket. The NHTSA will continue to file relevant

information as it becomes available in the docket after the closing

date, and recommends that interested persons continue to examine the

docket for new material.

Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt of their

comments in the rules docket should enclose a self-addressed, stamped

postcard in the envelope with their comments. Upon receiving the

comments, the docket supervisor will return the postcard by mail.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 572

Motor vehicle safety.

In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA proposes to amend 49 CFR

part 572 as follows:

PART 572--ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DUMMIES

1. The authority citation for part 572 would continue to read as

follows:

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1392, 1407; delegation of authority at 49

CFR 1.50.

2. 49 CFR part 572 would be amended by adding a new subpart N,

consisting of Secs. 572.120-572.129, to read as follows:

Subpart N--Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Child

Sec.

572.120 Incorporation by reference.

572.121 General description.

572.122 Head assembly and test procedure.

572.123 Neck assembly and test procedure.

572.124 Thorax assembly and test procedure.

572.125 Lumbar spine, abdomen, and pelvis assembly and test

procedure.

572.126 Knees and knee impact test procedure.

572.127 Test conditions and instrumentation.

Subpart N--Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Child

Sec. 572.120 Incorporation by reference.

(a) The following materials are hereby incorporated in this subpart

N by reference:

(1) A drawings and specifications package entitled ``Drawings and

[[Page 35173]]

Specifications for the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy (May 1998)'';

(2) A user's manual entitled ``User's Manual for the Hybrid III 6-

Year-Old Dummy [a date will be inserted in the final rule]'';

(3) A document entitled ``Printout of Descriptions of Patterns and

Molds for the Hybrid III 6-Year Old Dummy in Digital Form [a date will

be inserted in the final rule]'';

(4) SAE Recommended Practice J211, Rev. Mar95 ``Instrumentation for

Impact Tests'';

(5) SAE J1733 of 1994-12, ``Sign Convention for Vehicle Crash

Testing.''

(6) The Director of the Federal Register approved those materials

incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR

part 51. Copies of the materials may be inspected at NHTSA's Docket

Section, 400 Seventh Street S.W., room 5109, Washington, DC, or at the

Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite

700, Washington, DC.

(b) The incorporated materials are available as follows:

(1) The drawings and specifications package referred to in

paragraph (a)(1) of this section and the user's manual referred to in

paragraph (a)(2) of this section are available from Reprographic

Technologies, 9000 Virginia Manor Road, Beltsville, MD 20705 (301) 210-

5600.

(2) The printout of the descriptions of patterns and molds for the

Hybrid III 6-Year Old Dummy in digital form referred to in paragraph

(a)(1)(3) of this section is available from NHTSA's Docket Section.

(3) The SAE materials referred to in paragraphs (a)(4) and (a)(5)

of this section are available from the Society of Automotive Engineers,

Inc., 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096.

Sec. 572.121 General description.

(a)(1) The Hybrid III 6-year-old dummy consists of the components

and assemblies that are described by ``Drawings and Specifications for

the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy (May 1998).'' The complete assembly of

the dummy is shown in drawing 127-0000. The component assemblies, and

their drawing numbers, are listed in the following Table A:

Table A

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Component assembly Drawing No.

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Head Assembly............................ 127-1000

Neck Assembly............................ 127-1015

Upper Torso Assembly..................... 127-2000

Lower Torso Assembly..................... 127-3000

Leg Assembly............................. 127-4000

Arm Assembly............................. 127-5000

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(2) These drawings, and all other drawings referred to in this

subpart by the term ``drawing'' followed by a number, are contained in

``Drawings and Specifications for the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy (May

1998).''

(b) Disassembly, inspection, and assembly procedures are set forth

in ``User's Manual for the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy [a date will be

inserted in the final rule]'';

(c) The patterns and molds are described by ``Printout of

Descriptions of Patterns and Molds for the Hybrid III 6-Year-Old Dummy

in Digital Form [a date will be inserted in the final rule]'';

(d) Adjacent segments are joined in a manner such that except for

contacts existing under static conditions, there is no contact between

metallic elements throughout the range of motion or under simulated

crash impact conditions.

(e) The structural properties of the dummy are such that the dummy

conforms to this Part in every respect both before and after its use in

any test similar to those specified in Standard No. 208, Occupant Crash

Protection and Standard No. 213, Child Restraint Systems.

Sec. 572.122 Head assembly and test procedure.

(a) Head assembly. The head consists of the assembly shown in

drawing 127-1000, six axis neck transducer structural replacement

(drawing 78051-383X), head to neck pivot pin (drawing 78051-339) and 3

accelerometers (drawing SA-572 S4) mounted in conformance to drawing

127-1550.

(b) When the head assembly in paragraph (a) of this section is

dropped from a height of 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8+/-0.04 in) in accordance

with paragraph (c) of this section the peak resultant acceleration at

the location of the accelerometers at the head CG shall not be less

than 245 G and more than 300 G. The resultant acceleration vs. time

history curve shall be unimodal; oscillations occurring after the main

pulse are less than 10 percent of the peak resultant acceleration. The

lateral acceleration shall not exceed 15 g's (zero to peak).

(c) Head test procedure. The test procedure for the head is as

follows:

(1) Soak the head assembly in a controlled environment with a

temperature from 18.9 to 25.6 deg.C (66 to 78 deg.F) and a relative

humidity from 10 to 70 percent for at least four hours prior to a test.

(2) Prior to the test, clean the impact surface of the skin and the

impact surface of the steel plate with isopropyl alcohol,

trichloroethane, or an equivalent. The skin of the head must be clean

and dry for testing.

(3) Suspend the head assembly as shown in Figure N1. The lowest

point on the forehead is 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8 +/-0.04 in) from the

impact surface and the head is oriented to an incline of 62 +/-1 deg.

between the plane of the lower surface of the six axis transducer or

its structural replacement and the plane of the impact surface. The

1.57 mm (0.062 in.) diameter holes located on either side of the

dummy's head are used to ensure that the head is level with respect to

the impact surface.

(4) Drop the head assembly from the specified height by means that

ensures a smooth, instant release onto a rigidly supported flat

horizontal steel plate which is 50.4 mm (2 in) thick and 610 mm (24 in)

square. The impact surface shall be clean, dry and have a micro finish

of not less than 203.2 x 10-6 mm (8 micro inches) (RMS)

and not more than 2032.0 x 10-6 mm (80 micro inches)

(RMS).

(5) Allow at least 2 hours between successive tests on the same

head.

Sec. 572.123 Neck assembly and test procedure.

(a) The neck assembly consists of the assembly of components shown

in drawing 127-1015.

(b) Neck assembly. When the head-neck assembly, consisting of the

head shown in drawing 127-1000, neck shown in drawing 127-1015, pivot

pin 78051-339, bib simulator shown in drawing 127-1025, neck bracket

shown in drawing 127-8221, six axis neck transducer shown in drawing

SA-572 S11, neck mounting adapter TE-2208-001, and either three

accelerometers as shown in drawing SA572S4 installed in the head

assembly as specified in section 572.122 or their equivalent, is tested

according to the test procedure in paragraph (c) of this section, it

shall have the following characteristics:

(1) Flexion. Plane D referenced in Figure N2, shall rotate in the

direction of preimpact flight with respect to the pendulum's

longitudinal centerline between 74 degrees and 92 degrees. During this

rotation interval, the moment measured by the neck transducer (drawing

SA-572 S11) about the occipital condyles shall not be less than 27Nm

(19.9 ft-lb) and not more than 33 Nm (24.3 ft-lb). The moment shall be

calculated by the following formula: Moment (Nm) =

My-(0.01778m) x (Fx). The positive

[[Page 35174]]

moment shall decay for the first time to 5 Nm between 103 ms and 123

ms.

(2) Extension. Plane D referenced in Figure N3, shall rotate in the

direction of preimpact flight with respect to the pendulum's

longitudinal centerline between 94 degrees and during this rotation

interval, the moment measured by the neck transducer (drawing S-572

S11) about the occipital condyles shall not be more than -19 Nm (-14

ft-lb) and not less than -24 Nm (-17.7ft-lb). The moment shall be

calculated by the following formula: Moment (Nm) =

My-(0.01778m) x (Fx). The negative moment shall decay for the first

time to -5 Nm between 127 ms and 147 ms.

(3) Time-zero is defined as the time of initial contact between the

pendulum striker plate and the honeycomb material.

(c) Test Procedure (1) Soak the neck assembly in a controlled

environment at a temperature between 20.6 to 22.2 deg.C (69 to 72 F)

and a relative humidity from 10 to 70 percent for at least four hours

prior to a test.

(2) Torque the jam nut (drawing 9000341) on the neck cable (drawing

127-1016) to 0.23 Nm (2 in-lbs).

(3) Mount the head-neck assembly defined in paragraph (b) of this

section, on the pendulum so the midsagittal plane of the head is

vertical and coincides with the plane of motion of the pendulum as

shown in Figure N2 for flexion and Figure N3 for extension tests.

(4) Release the pendulum and allow it to fall freely from a height

to achieve an impact velocity of 4.95+/-0.12 m/s (16.2 +/-0.4 ft/s) for

flexion and 4.3 +/-0.12 m/s (14.10+/-0.40 ft/s) for extension tests,

measured by an accelerometer at the center of the pendulum at the

instant of contact with the honey comb.

(i) Time-zero is defined as the time of initial contact between the

pendulum striker plate and the honeycomb material. All data channels

should be at the zero level at this time.

(ii) Stop the pendulum from the initial velocity with an

acceleration vs. time pulse which meets the velocity change as

specified below. Integrate the pendulum acceleration data channel to

obtain the velocity vs. time curve:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pendulum pulse

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time Flexion Extension

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ms m/s ft/s m/s ft/s

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10........................................................ 1.2-1.6 3.9-5.3 1.0-1.4 3.3-4.6

20........................................................ 2.4-3.4 7.9-11.2 2.2-3.0 7.2-9.8

30........................................................ 3.8-5.0 12.5-16.4 3.2-4.2 10.5-13.8

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 572.124 Thorax assembly and test procedure.

(a) Thorax (Upper Torso) Assembly. The thorax consists of the part

of the torso assembly shown in drawing 127-2000.

(b) Thorax assembly. When the anterior surface of the thorax of a

completely assembled dummy (drawing 127-0000) is impacted by a test

probe conforming to Sec. 572.127(a) at 6.71 +/-0.12 m/s (22.0 +/-0.4

ft/s) according to the test procedure in paragraph (c) of this section,

(1) The peak force measured by the probe in accordance with

Sec. 572.127 shall not be less than 1150 N (258 lbs) and not more than

1300 N (292 lbs) and the maximum sternum displacement relative to the

spine is not less than 38.0 mm (1.50 in) and not more than 44.0 mm (1.7

in) as measured with chest deflection transducer (drawing 127-8050),

and

(2) The internal hysteresis of the ribcage in each impact as

determined by the plot of force vs. deflection in paragraph (b)(1) of

this section shall be not less than 69 percent but not more than 85

percent.

(c) Test procedure. (1) Soak the dummy in a controlled environment

at a temperature between 20.6 to 22.2 deg.C (69 to 72 F) and a relative

humidity from 10 to 70 percent for at least four hours prior to a test.

(2) Seat and orient the dummy, that wears light weight cotton

stretch short sleeve shirt and above the knee pants on a seating

surface without back support as shown in Figure N4, with the limbs

extended horizontally and forward, parallel to the midsagittal plane,

the midsagittal plane vertical within +/-1 degree and the ribs level in

the anterior-poster and lateral directions within +/-0.5 degrees.

(3) Establish the impact point at the chest midsagittal plane so

that the impact point of the longitudinal centerline of the probe

coincides with the midsagittal plane of the dummy within +/-2.5 mm (0.1

in.) and is 12.7 +/-1.1 mm (0.5+/-0.04 in.) below the horizontal

centerline of the No. 3 rib and is within 0.5 degrees of a horizontal

line in the dummy's midsagittal plane.

(4) Adjust the dummy so that the tangent plane at the surface on

the ribs immediately adjacent to the designated impact point is

vertical and parallel to the face of the test probe.

(5) Impact the thorax with the test probe so that at the moment of

contact the probe's longitudinal center line falls within 2 degrees of

a horizontal line in the dummy's midsagittal plane.

(6) Guide the test probe during impact so that there is no

significant lateral, vertical or rotational movement.

(7) Allow at least 30 minutes between successive tests.

Sec. 572.125 Lumbar spine, abdomen, and pelvis assembly and test

procedure.

(a) Upper/lower torso assembly. The test objective is to determine

the stiffness effects of the lumbar spine (drawing 127-3002) and

abdominal insert (drawing 127-8210) on resistance to articulation

between the upper torso assembly (drawing 127-2000) and the lower the

torso assembly (drawing 127-3000).

(b) When the upper torso assembly of a seated dummy is subjected to

a force continuously applied at the head to neck pivot pin level

through a rigidly attached adaptor bracket as shown in Figure N5,

according to the test procedure set out in paragraph (c) of this

section, the lumbar spine-abdomen assembly shall:

(1) Flex by an amount that permits the upper torso assembly to

translate in angular motion until the instrument cavity mating surface

at the back of the thoracic spine is at 45 degrees relative to the

vertical transverse plane at which time the force level applied

perpendicular to the thoracic spine box mating surface is not less than

33 pounds and not more than 45 pounds, and

(2) Upon removal of the force the torso assembly returns to within

8 degrees of its initial position.

(c) Test procedure.

(1) Assemble the upper and the lower thorax including the loading

adaptor bracket, and attach them to the fixture

[[Page 35175]]

in a seated posture as shown in Figure N5.

(2) Secure the pelvis at the pelvis instrument cavity rear face at

the by threading four \1/4\ in cap screws into the available threaded

attachment holes. Tighten the mountings so that the test material is

rigidly affixed to the test fixture and pelvic-lumbar joining surface

is horizontal.

(3) Attach the loading adapter bracket to the spine of the dummy

and the pull cable and load cell as shown in Figure N5.

(4) Flex the thorax forward 40 degrees and then rearward as

necessary to allow the torso to return to its initial position without

external assistance.

(5)(i) Apply a forward force in the midsagittal plane through the

adaptor bracket as shown in Figure N5 at any upper torso deflection

rate between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees per second, up to 45 degrees of

flexion, at which time the applied force is perpendicular to the

thoracic spine box instrumentation cavity mating surface.

(ii) Continue to apply a force sufficient to maintain 45 degrees of

flexion for 10 seconds, and record the highest applied force during the

10 seconds period.

(iii) Release all force as rapidly as possible, and measure the

return angle 3 minutes after the release.

Sec. 572.126 Knees and knee impact test procedure.

(a) The knee assembly is part of the leg assembly shown in drawing

127-4000.

(b) Knee assembly. When the knee assembly, consisting of the knee

cap shown in drawing 127-4013-1 (left) -2 (right), knee flesh shown in

drawing 127-4011, lower leg shown in drawing 127-4014, the foot

assembly shown in drawing 127-4030-1 (left) -2 (right), and femur load

transducer shown in drawing SA-572 S10 or its structural replacement

(drawing 127-4007), is tested according to the test procedure in

Sec. 572.127(c), the peak resistance force as measured with the test

probe mounted accelerometer is not less than 1.8 kN (441 lbs) and not

more than 2.8 kN (617 lbs).

(c) Test Procedure.

(1) Soak the knee assembly in a controlled environment at a

temperature between 18.9 to 25.6 C (66 to 78 F) and a relative humidity

from 10 to 70 percent for at least four hours prior to a test.

(2) Mount the test material and secure it to a rigid test fixture

as shown in Figure N6. No contact is permitted between any part of the

foot and tibia and any exterior surface.

(3) Align the test probe so that throughout its stroke and at

contact with the knee it is within 2 deg. of horizontal and collinear

with the longitudinal centerline of the femur.

(4) Guide the pendulum so that there is no significant lateral

vertical or rotational movement at time zero.

(5) The test probe velocity at the time of contact is 2.1+/-0.03 m/

s (6.9+/-0.1 ft/s).

(6) Time-zero is defined as the time of initial contact between the

impactor and the knee.

Sec. 572.127 Test conditions and instrumentation.

(a) The test probe for thoracic impacts is a 101.6 +/-0.25 mm (4.00

+/-0.01 in.) diameter cylinder that weighs 2.86 +/-.02 kg (6.3 +/-0.05

lb) including instrumentation. Its impacting end has a flat right angle

face that is rigid and has an edge radius of 12.7 mm (0.5 in.). The

test probe has an accelerometer mounted on the end opposite from impact

with its sensitive axis collinear with the longitudinal centerline of

the cylinder.

(b) The test probe for knee impact tests is a 76.2 +/-0.2 mm (3.0

+/-0.01 in.) diameter cylinder that weighs .82 +/-.01 kg (1.8 +/-0.02

lb) including instrumentation. Its impacting end has a flat right angle

face that is rigid and has an edge radius of 12.7 mm (0.5 in.) max. The

test probe has an accelerometer mounted on the end opposite from impact

with its sensitive axis collinear to the longitudinal centerline of the

cylinder.

(c) Head accelerometers shall have dimensions, response

characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in drawing SA-

572 S4 or equivalent and be mounted in the head as shown in drawing

127-0000 sheet 3.

(d) The neck force/moment transducer shall have the dimensions,

response characteristics, and sensitive axis locations specified in

drawing SA-572 S11 or its equivalent and be mounted in the head-neck

assembly as shown in drawing 127-0000 sheet 3.

(e) The thorax accelerometers shall have the dimensions, response

characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in drawing SA-

572 S4, or its equivalent and are mounted in the torso assembly in

triaxial configuration at T4, and in uniaxial for-and-aft oriented

configuration on the most anterior ends of ribs #1 and #6 and at the

spine box at the levels of #1 and #6 ribs as shown in drawing 127-2000.

(f) The chest deflection transducer shall have the dimensions and

response characteristics specified in drawing 127-8050 or equivalent

and be mounted in the upper torso assembly as shown in drawing 127-

2000.

(g) The optional lumbar spine force-moment transducer shall have

the dimensions, response characteristics, and sensitive axis locations

specified in drawing SA-572 S12 or its equivalent and be mounted in the

lower torso assembly as shown in drawing 127-3000 as a replacement for

lumbar adaptor 127-3005.

(h) The optional iliac spine force transducers shall have the

dimensions and response characteristics specified in drawing SA-572 S13

or equivalent and be mounted in the torso assembly as shown in drawing

127-3000 as a replacement for A.S.I.S. load cell replacement 127-3015-1

(left) and -2 (right).

(i) The optional pelvis accelerometers shall have the dimensions,

response characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in

drawing SA-572 S4, or its equivalent and be mounted in the torso

assembly in triaxial configuration in the pelvis bone as shown in

drawing 127-3550.

(j) The femur force transducer shall have the dimensions and

response characteristics specified in drawing SA-572 S10 or its

equivalent and be mounted in the leg assembly as shown in drawing 127-

4001.

(k) The outputs of acceleration and force-sensing devices installed

in the dummy and in the test apparatus specified by this part are

recorded in individual data channels that conform to the requirements

of SAE Recommended Practice J211, Rev. Mar95 ``Instrumentation for

Impact Tests,'' with channel classes as follows:

(1) Head acceleration--Class 1000.

(2) Neck:

(i) Forces--Class 1000.

(ii) Moments--Class 600.

(iii) Pendulum acceleration--Class 180.

(3) Thorax:

(i) Rib acceleration--Class 1000.

(ii) Spine and pendulum accelerations--Class 180.

(iii) Sternum deflection--Class 600.

(4) Lumbar:

(i) Forces--Class 1000.

(ii) Moments--Class 1000.

(5) Pelvis accelerations -Class 1000.

(6) Femur forces--Class 600.

(l) Coordinate signs for instrumentation polarity conform to the

Sign Convention For Vehicle Crash Testing, Surface Vehicle Information

Report, SAE J1733, 1994-12.

(m) The mountings for sensing devices shall have no resonance

frequency within range of 3 times the frequency range of the applicable

channel class.

[[Page 35176]]

(n) Limb joints are set at lg, barely restraining the weight of the

limb when it is extended horizontally. The force required to move a

limb segment shall not exceed 2G throughout the range of limb motion.

(o) Performance tests of the same component, segment, assembly, or

fully assembled dummy are separated in time by period of not less than

30 minutes unless otherwise noted.

(p) Surfaces of dummy components are not painted except as

specified in this part or in drawings subtended by this part.

BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

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Figures to Subpart N

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.028

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.029

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.030

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.031

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.032

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29JN98.033

Issued on: June 22, 1988.

L. Robert Shelton,

Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 98-17138 Filed 6-25-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-59-C