Human Head and Neck Kinematics after Low Velocity Rear-End Impacts: Understanding “Whiplash”
A second series of low-speed rear-end crash tests with seven volunteer test subjects have delineated human head/neck dynamics for velocity changes up to 10.9 kph (6.8 mph). Angular and linear sensor data from biteblock arrays were used to compute acceleration resultants for multiple points on the head’s sagittal plane. By combining these acceleration fields with film-based instantaneous rotation centers, translational and rotational accelerations were defined to form a sequential acceleration history for points on the head. Our findings suggest a mechanism to explained why cervical motion beyond the test subjects’ measured voluntary range of motion was never observed in any of a total of 28 human test exposures. Probable “whiplash” injury mechanisms are discussed.
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- Compressive Neck Injury and Its Relationship to Head Contact & Torso Motion During Vehicle Rollover
- The Epidemiology of Facial Fractures in Automotive Collisions
- Human Head and Neck Kinematics after Low Velocity Rear-End Impacts: Understanding "Whiplash"
- Validation and Application of a Methodology to Calculate Head Accelerations and Neck Loading