Analysing the damping performance of automobile crash dummy ribs

Abstract

Chest injuries are commonly encountered in traffic accidents, with ribs playing a crucial role in chest impact response. This study focuses on the damping performance of ribs and its influence on chest response during collisions. Employing mechanical bionics principles, the mechanical equivalence of ribs under collision impact was determined. Consequently, a rib impact dynamic model based on equivalent damping theory was developed. This model was integrated with a rib drop hammer impact test system, yielding a numerical solution for the equivalent damping ratio of the rib, quantified as 0.085. Additionally, to validate the accuracy of the rib impact dynamics model, a verification method based on the half-power bandwidth method was proposed. Through the implementation of the rib force hammer impact test, the equivalent damping ratio was determined to be 0.093, showing an 8.6% deviation from the result of the impact dynamics model. These findings not only confirm the validity of the rib equivalent damping theory within the impact dynamics model but also provide theoretical support for the design and improvement of dummy ribs and, potentially, the overall development of crash test dummies.

Keywords:

• Shock vibration
• damping performance
• equivalent damping ratio
• half-power bandwidth method
• rib

Acknowledgments

This study is supported by the Research and China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATRC). Additionally, the authors appreciate the editors and reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

We declare that we have no financial or personal relationships with any individuals or organisations that could inappropriately influence our work. Additionally, there are no professional or other personal interests of any nature or kind in any product, service, and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in or the review of the manuscript entitled “Analyzing damping performance of automobile crash dummy ribs.”