The Influence of Reclined Seatback Angles on Occupant Injury Risks in Frontal Impacts Tianjin University of Science and Technology

Format:

Book

Conference/Event

Author/Creator:

Wang, Yanxin, author.

Contributor:

He, Lijuan

Li, Kun

Lin, Yuyang

Liu, Chong

Liu, Yutao

Lv, Wenle

Pan, Ruyang

Wang, Zhenqiang

Zhu, He

Conference Name:

WCX SAE World Congress Experience (2025-04-08 : Detroit, Michigan, United States)

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource cm

Place of Publication:

Warrendale, PA SAE International 2025

Summary:

The reclined seatbacks will be increasingly used with the advanced technologies of the intelligent automobile. The occupant collision protection must rise to the challenge facing to the new impact scenarios. It is necessary to understand the injury mechanisms of the reclined occupants in order to design the resistant system and testing protection regulations. In this study, simulation tests were conducted for the Frontal Full Width Impact (FRB) and the Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier Frontal Impact (MPDB) as specified in the China New Car Assessment Programme (C-NCAP, 2021 version). The simulation used the biomechanical model of the 5th female occupant exhibiting the detailed anatomical structures and a seat model with large-angle seatback. The occupant injury risks and mechanisms with 25°, 45° and 60° seating postures were investigated by analyzing the kinematic and biomechanical parameters, and the influence of the seatback angle on occupant injury was discussed. The results indicate that reclined seatback significantly affects the kinematic responses of the head and neck, with head and neck injuries acting as primary contributors to C-NCAP score reductions. Seatback angle and collision type are key factors influencing the risk of visceral and lumbar spine injuries. In FRB impact condition, the risk of visceral injury reduces by 18% and 17% with the increasing seatback angle, respectively, while the risk of lumbar spine injury decreases by 1% and increases by 38%. In MPDB impact condition, the risk of visceral injury reduces by 28% and 32% with increasing seatback angle, and increases the risk of lumbar spine injury by 51% and 32%, respectively. In conclusion, the head, neck, and visceral organs are common injury regions for occupants in reclined seatbacks, and the collision types influence the injury mechanisms. Mitigating the range of head and neck motion and the compressive forces on visceral organs are critical for protecting reclined posture occupants. These findings from this study could contribute significantly to the development of regulations and restraint systems for reclined occupant protection

Notes:

Vendor supplied data

Publisher Number:

2025-01-8732

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license