Abstract:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute conducted a series of dynamic tests to compare the dynamic vertical response of typical civil aviation Anthropomorphic Test Dummies (ATDs) with the Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR-NT) at three loading rates 9 G, 14 G, and 19 G. The performance of the THOR in the vertical direction has not been well established, and no injury criteria have been developed to assess the spinal injury risk with the THOR. The lumbar load measured by the Hybrid II and FAA Hybrid III closely matched for all three loading conditions with a relative error of less than 10%. The change in lumbar load was not linear with respect to sled acceleration, suggesting that the ATD is rate sensitive at these loading rates. Compared with the FAA Hybrid III, the THOR-NT thoracic load was higher for the 9 G and 14 G tests and approximately equal at the 19 G condition. Based on the tests run in this series, the THOR-NT would not be considered an equivalent ATD to the Hybrid II for vertical testing.