G. Rechnitzer

Out on a limb: risk factors for arm fracture in playground equipment falls

Objectives: To investigate and quantify fall height, surface depth, and surface impact attenuation as risk factors for arm fracture in children who fall from playground equipment. Design: Unmatched case control study. Setting: Five case hospitals and 78 randomly selected control schools. Participants: Children aged less than 13 years in Victoria, Australia who fell from school playground equipment and landed on their arm. Cases sustained an upper limb fracture and controls had minor or no injury. A total of 402 cases and 283 controls were included. Interventions: Children were interviewed in the playground as soon as possible after their fall. Main outcome measures: Falls were recreated on site using two validated impact test devices: a headform (measuring peak G and HIC) and a novel anthropometric arm load dummy. Equipment and fall heights, as well as surface depth and substrate were measured. Results: Arm fracture risk was greatest for critical equipment heights above 1.5 m (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.49 to 3.84, p<0.01), and critical fall heights above 1.0 m (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.71 to 5.15, p<0.01). Peak headform deceleration below 100G was protective (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.99, pu200a=u200a0.04). Compliance with 20 cm surface depth recommendation was poor for both cases and controls. Conclusions: Arm fracture-specific criteria should be considered for future standards. These include surface and height conditions where critical headform deceleration is less than 100G. Consideration should also be given to reducing maximum equipment height to 1.5 m. Improved surface depth compliance and, in particular, guidelines for surface maintenance are required.

Head and neck responses in oblique motorcycle helmet impacts: a novel laboratory test method

The dynamics of a Hybrid III dummys head and neck in helmeted impacts using a novel oblique impact test were studied. Three impact conditions were investigated that simulated a range of motorcyclist head impacts and provided estimates of head and neck injury using published injury assessment reference values. The resultant linear and angular accelerations in the coronal plane were significantly higher for an impact to the side of the head when compared with frontal impacts. Neck axial forces were recorded, ranging from 2.1 to 3.4 kN. Linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the correlation coefficients that characterised the relationships between dummy responses and impact and sled velocities. Linear regression curves showed that increasing the impact and sled velocities resulted in an increase of the head angular accelerations. The neck axial force was found to positively correlate with the impact and sled velocities in the lateral impacts.

Proposal for a dynamic rollover protective system test

AbstractCurrently effective Rollover Protective Structure standards exist for Buses, Earthmoving Equipment and Agricultural Tractors. Construction guides for racing cars have also evolved. There are no well-recognised Rollover Protective System tests, standards or design guides for either Military or Civilian (4 Wheel Drive Vehicles) 4 × 4s. This paper presents a range of test protocols, procedures and demonstration methods that have been developed and used to evaluate and test Rollover Protective Structures for Military 4 × 4s. A dynamic test method developed by Exponent, Inc. is also examined. Based on the identified weaknesses of the above and the desire to develop a reproducible test method that simulates real world rollover crashes, a dynamic Rollover Protective System test is proposed. The proposed Test will enable evaluation of active safety systems, occupant restraints and structural performance via injury criteria developed for Anthropometric Test Dummies (ATD). A feasibility study of the proposed test concept will be carried out via MADYMO modelling and n

Simulation of Vehicle Lateral Side Impacts with Poles to Estimate Crush and Impact Speed Characteristics

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Development of Rollover Protective Structures for Mining Light Vehicles

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EFFECTIVENESS OF CARGO BARRIERS TO PROTECT FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS IN REAR IMPACTS - CRASH TEST EVALUATION

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Review of car frontal stiffness equations for estimating vehicle impact velocities

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VEHICLE COMPATIBILITY: GET THE GEOMETRY AND INTERFACES RIGHT FIRST

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