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Study of cervical muscle response and injury of driver during a frontal vehicle collision

Issue title: Frontiers in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology – Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, 18–21 August 2015, Shanghai, China

Guest editors: Feng Liu, Dong-Hoon Lee, Ricardo Lagoa and Sandeep Kumar

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gao, Zhenhaia; b; c | Li, Chuzhaoa | Hu, Hongyua; * | Zhao, Huib; c | Chen, Chaoyangd | Yu, Huilib; c

Affiliations: [a] State Key Laboratory of Automobile Simulation and Control, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, P.R. China | [b] State Key Laboratory of Vehicle NVH and Safety Technology, Changan Automobile Holding Ltd, Chongqing 401120, P.R. China | [c] Changan Automobile Holding Ltd. Automotive Engineering Institute, Chongqing 401120, P.R. China | [d] Spine Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Hongyu Hu, State Key Laboratory of Automobile Simulation and Control, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, P.R. China. Tel.: +86 (0431) 85095090; Fax: +86 (0431) 85682227; E-mail: [email protected].

Keywords: Cervical muscle, muscle strain, muscle load, frontal collision, dummy

DOI: 10.3233/BME-151353

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 26, no. s1, pp. S619-S627, 2015

Published: 2015
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Frontal vehicle collisions can cause injury to a driver’s cervical muscles resulting from intense changes in muscle strain and muscle load. This study investigated the influence of collision forces in a sled test environment using a modified Hybrid III 50th percentile dummy equipped with simulated spring-type muscles. Cervical muscle responses including strain and load of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), splenius capitis (SPL), and trapezius (TRP) were analyzed, and muscle injury was assessed. The SCM, SPL, and TRP suffered average peak muscle strains of 21%, 40%, and 23%, respectively, exceeding the injury threshold. The average peak muscle loads of the SCM, SPL and TRP were 11 N, 25 N, and 25 N, respectively, lower than the ultimate failure load. The SPL endured the largest injury, while the injuries to the SCM and TRP were relatively small. This is a preliminary study to assess the cervical muscle of driver during a frontal vehicle collision. This study provides a foundation for investigating the muscle response and injury in sled test environments, which can lead to the improvement of occupant protections.

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