OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN REAR END COLLISIONS

Abstract

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE PROBLEM OF OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN SEVERE REAR END COLLISIONS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE SEAT STRUCTURES AND HEAD RESTRAINTS. CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO BOTH FIXED HEAD RESTRAINTS AND TO DEPLOYABLE HEAD RESTRAINTS. TWO-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF OCCUPANT KINEMATICS IN A VARIETY OF REAREND COLLISIONS ARE UTILIZED TO PROVIDE INITIAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA FOR HEAD RESTRAINT DESIGN CONFIGURATIONS. THE RESULTING PROTOTYPE SYSTEM UNDERWENT A TEST AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON AN IMPACT SLED. THE RESULTS OF THE VARIOUS PROTOTYPE PERFORMANCES AND GENERAL CRITERIA FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE HEAD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS ARE DISCUSSED. /SAE/