[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 44 (Monday, March 8, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 10965-10977]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5509]



[[Page 10965]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 572

[Docket No. NHTSA-99-5156]
RIN 2127-AG78


Anthropomorphic Test Dummy; Occupant Crash Protection

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This document proposes to adopt design and performance 
specifications for a new 12-month-old infant dummy. The new dummy is 
especially needed to evaluate the effects of air bag deployment on 
children who are not properly positioned at the time of a crash, i.e., 
out-of-position. It would also provide greater and more useful 
information in a variety of crash environments to better evaluate child 
safety. Adopting the dummy would be the first step toward using it to 
evaluate the safety of air bags for infants and very young children. 
The separate issue of specifying use of the dummy in determining 
compliance with performance tests, e.g., as part of the occupant 
protection standard and/or child restraint standard, will be addressed 
in other rulemakings, most notably the proposed advanced air bag 
rulemaking.

DATES: You should submit your comments early enough to ensure that 
Docket Management receives them not later than April 22, 1999.

ADDRESSES: You should mention the docket number of this document in 
your comments and submit your comments in writing to: Docket 
Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 
20590.
    You may call the Docket at 202-366-9324. You may visit the Docket 
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For non-legal issues, you may call 
Stan Backaitis, Office of Crashworthiness Standards, at 202-366-4912.
    For legal issues, you may call Rebecca MacPherson, Office of the 
Chief Counsel, at 202-366-2992.
    You may send mail to both of these officials at National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C., 
20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Air bag fatalities of children have raised 
serious concerns about how best to evaluate their safety in a variety 
of crash environments. We are working with the automotive industry to 
assure greater safety in motor vehicles through the development, 
evaluation and application of significantly improved occupant 
protection technologies. As part of our overall program to achieve 
greater safety, we are developing new and improved test devices to 
evaluate the relationship between observed injuries and the forces 
causing them. One of the new test devices is a 12-month-old infant 
dummy.
    In 1990 the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) began the 
development of a 12-month-old infant dummy designed to evaluate a very 
young child's interaction with an air bag. At that time, the SAE Child 
Restraint Air Bag Interaction (CRABI) Task Force requested the SAE 
Mechanical Human Simulation Subcommittee to address the need for a new 
infant dummy that could be used in testing and evaluating the effects 
of child restraints and air bags, as well as their interaction, on 
infants. The CRABI Task Force had determined that the biofidelity and 
impact response of the existing infant dummies were inadequate and that 
those dummies were not suitable for modification or retrofit. In view 
of the deficiencies in those dummies, the task force concluded that an 
entirely new dummy was needed. The new dummy was to be capable of 
evaluating both rear facing and forward facing child restraints, as 
well as the injury potential of air bags for out-of-position children.
    The SAE subsequently developed the CRABI 12-month-old infant dummy. 
Our initial review of the results of tests with the dummy in 1996 
indicated serious structural and performance deficiencies that 
prevented it from being a stable and objective test device. We 
addressed these problems cooperatively with SAE Hybrid III Dummy Family 
Task Group. These efforts produced a substantially modified dummy. Some 
changes were made as late as September 1998.
    The dummy's initial configuration and biomechanical response 
corridors were based on anthropometry and mass distribution of 3-year-
old children and on scaling techniques from the 50th percentile male 
Hybrid III dummy. The scaling reflects differences in geometry and 
dimensional characteristics of particular body segments and their 
elastic properties. The dummy's biofidelity response corridors cover 
head impact response in drop tests and neck flexion in pendulum tests.
    Since we could not determine the stiffness of the ribcage and 
abdomen based on existing biofidelity data, we asked a medical advisory 
group at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to 
evaluate the dummy based on its expertise with children of that age 
group. Changes were made to the stiffness of the dummy's ribcage as a 
result of the physicians' evaluation and recommendation. The stiffness 
of the dummy's abdomen was deemed to appropriately mimic that of an 
actual child.
    While the CRABI Task Force had recommended that the dummy be tested 
while dressed in a diaper and standard clothing during tests, we have 
not conducted any tests with a diapered dummy. We have decided against 
using diapers because we believe diapers would prevent the dummy from 
producing repeatable results.
    Based on our evaluation of the latest version of the CRABI 12-
month-old infant crash test dummy through a new, rigorous test program, 
we have tentatively concluded that the dummy is ready for incorporation 
into Part 572. As a result of our evaluation and the dummy's intended 
use in forward and rear facing child restraints, we are proposing 
calibration specifications for the head and neck both in frontal and 
rear impacts. We are also proposing calibration specifications for a 
frontal impact test that measures thorax responses and a torso flexion 
stiffness test. We are placing in the docket a technical report 
entitled ``Development and Evaluation of the CRABI 12-Month-Old Infant 
Crash Test Dummy (January, 1999 version).'' That report provides the 
technical information supporting this rulemaking.
    The proposed specifications and performance criteria for the CRABI 
12-month-old infant crash test dummy would consist of two items:
    (1) A drawings and specifications package entitled ``Parts List and 
Drawings and for the 12-Month-Old Infant (CRABI) Dummy (January 
1999)''; and
    (2) A user's manual entitled ``User's Manual for the CRABI 12-
Month-Old Infant Dummy [a date would be inserted in the final rule].''
    In order to facilitate comment on the general content and format of 
the user's manual, we have placed in the docket a copy of a manual 
entitled ``User's Guide for the Twelve and Eighteen Month Old Infant 
Dummies (CRABI)'', SAE Engineering Aid 27 (June 1995).
    The specifications are intended to ensure that the dummies are 
uniform in their construction and capable of repeatable and 
reproducible response in the impact environment. We note that the first 
item listed above, the parts list

[[Page 10966]]

and drawings, is available for inspection in our technical reference 
library. (Since this item is non-scannable, we cannot place it in the 
DOT Dockets Management System (DMS). Instead, we have placed in the 
docket a statement indicating where this item may be viewed, i.e., in 
NHTSA's technical reference library. You may also obtain copies from 
Reprographic Technologies, 9000 Virginia Manor Road, Beltsville, MD 
20705; Telephone: (301) 419-5070.
    As we have done for other dummies, we are proposing impact 
performance criteria to serve as calibration checks, and to further 
assure the kinematic uniformity of the dummy and the absence of 
structural damage and functional deficiency from previous use. The 
tests address head, neck, and thorax impact responses and resistance to 
flexion motion assessments of the lumbar spine-abdomen area when the 
upper torso half is flexed relative to the lower half.
    We are proposing generic specifications for all of the dummy-based 
sensors. For most earlier dummies, we specified sensors by make and 
model. However, we believe that approach is unnecessarily restrictive 
and limits innovation and competition.
    The proposed sensor specifications are essentially generic and 
reflect performance characteristics of the sensors used in our dummy 
evaluation series that are identified by make and model in the above 
referenced technical report ``Development and Evaluation of the CRABI 
12-month-old Infant Dummy.'' Specifications for the proposed sensors 
are included in the drawing package. You are encouraged to comment on 
the adequacy of the proposed specifications; the potential impact on 
the quality of measurements to be acquired, including the comparability 
of data using sensors manufactured by different companies; and issues 
related to calibration assurance tests.
    We note that the CRABI 12-month-old infant dummy is the fourth of 
several new dummies we are proposing to add to Part 572. We have 
already proposed adding a new, advanced 6-year-old dummy (H-III6C) (63 
FR 35170), a fifth percentile small adult female dummy (H-III5F) (63 FR 
46981), and an advanced 3-year-old dummy (H-III3C) (64 FR 4385). We 
intend to use these dummies in connection with our rulemaking for 
advanced air bags (NRPM at 63 FR 49958). As part of that rulemaking, we 
could specify all of these dummies for use in a variety of potential 
Standard No. 208 tests, including static out-of-position tests and/or 
various dynamic tests. In a separate rulemaking, we could consider 
specifying these child dummies for use in Standard No. 213 tests.
    We emphasize, however, that this notice only concerns the CRABI 12-
month-old dummy, and that we are only proposing to add the dummy to 
Part 572. However, since one of the primary purposes of adding the 
dummy to Part 572 is to enable it to be specified for use in the 
Federal motor vehicle safety standards, we encourage you to address its 
suitability for tests related to occupant crash protection, e.g., those 
discussed or proposed in the NPRM on advanced air bags. We also 
encourage you to address the dummy's suitability with respect to 
measuring proposed and other injury criteria,1 as well as 
the choice of and potential impact of traditional clothing on the dummy 
and its calibration measurements.
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    \1\  For information concerning potential injury criteria, see 
Development of Improved Injury Criteria for the Assessment of 
Advanced Automotive Restraint Systems, June, 1998, Docket No. 
NHTSA98-4405-9. (Available on the NHTSA website at http://
www.nhtsa.dot.gov.)
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Regulatory Analyses and Notices

Executive Order 12866 and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures

    Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review'' (58 FR 
51735, October 4, 1993), provides for making determinations whether a 
regulatory action is ``significant'' and therefore subject to Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) review and to the requirements of the 
Executive Order. The Order defines a ``significant regulatory action'' 
as one that is likely to result in a rule that may:
    (1) Have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or 
adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the 
economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public 
health or safety, or State, local, or Tribal governments or 
communities;
    (2) Create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an 
action taken or planned by another agency;
    (3) Materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, 
user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients 
thereof; or
    (4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal 
mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set forth in 
the Executive Order.
    We have considered the impact of this rulemaking action under 
Executive Order 12866 and the Department of Transportation's regulatory 
policies and procedures. This rule is not considered a significant 
regulatory action under section 3(f) of the Executive Order 12866. 
Consequently, it was not reviewed by the Office of Management and 
Budget. This rulemaking document was not reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget under E.O. 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and 
Review.'' The rulemaking action is also not considered to be 
significant under the Department's Regulatory Policies and Procedures 
(44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979).
    This document proposes to amend 49 CFR Part 572 by adding design 
and performance specifications for a new 12-month-old child dummy which 
the agency may later separately propose for use in the Federal motor 
vehicle safety standards. If this proposed rule becomes final, it would 
impose requirement on only those businesses which choose to manufacture 
or test with the dummy. It may indirectly affect vehicle and child seat 
manufacturers if it is incorporated by reference into the advanced air 
bag rulemaking or a future Child Seating Systems (FMVSS No. 213) 
rulemaking.
    The cost of an uninstrumented CRABI dummy is approximately $17,000. 
Instrumentation would add approximately $14,000 to $45,000 to the cost, 
depending on the amount of data channels the user chooses to collect.
    Because the economic impacts of this proposal are so minimal, no 
further regulatory evaluation is necessary.

Executive Order 12612

    We have analyzed this proposal in accordance with Executive Order 
12612 (``Federalism''). We have determined that this proposal does not 
have sufficient Federalism impacts to warrant the preparation of a 
federalism assessment.

Executive Order 13045

    Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997) applies to any 
rule that: (1) is determined to be ``economically significant'' as 
defined under E.O. 12866, and (2) concerns an environmental, health or 
safety risk that NHTSA has reason to believe may have a 
disproportionate effect on children. If the regulatory action meets 
both criteria, we must evaluate the environmental health or safety 
effects of the planned rule on children, and explain why the planned 
regulation is preferable to other potentially effective and reasonably 
feasible alternatives considered by us.
    This rule is not subject to the Executive Order because it is not 
economically significant as defined in E.O. 12866. It does indirectly 
involve decisions based on health risks that disproportionately affect 
children, namely, the risk of deploying air bags to

[[Page 10967]]

infants. However, this rulemaking serves to reduce, rather than 
increase, that risk.

Executive Order 12778

    Pursuant to Executive Order 12778, ``Civil Justice Reform,'' we 
have considered whether this proposed rule would have any retroactive 
effect. We conclude that it would not have such effect. Under 49 U.S.C. 
30103, whenever a Federal motor vehicle safety standard is in effect, a 
State may not adopt or maintain a safety standard applicable to the 
same aspect of performance which is not identical to the Federal 
standard, except to the extent that the state requirement imposes a 
higher level of performance and applies only to vehicles procured for 
the State's use. 49 U.S.C. 30161 sets forth a procedure for judicial 
review of final rules establishing, amending or revoking Federal motor 
vehicle safety standards. That section does not require submission of a 
petition for reconsideration or other administrative proceedings before 
parties may file suit in court.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 
as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
(SBREFA) of 1996) whenever an agency is required to publish a notice of 
rulemaking for any proposed or final rule, it must prepare and make 
available for public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that 
describes the effect of the rule on small entities (i.e., small 
businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions). 
However, no regulatory flexibility analysis is required if the head of 
an agency certifies the rule will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. SBREFA amended the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act to require Federal agencies to provide a 
statement of the factual basis for certifying that a rule will not have 
a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.
    The Administrator has considered the effects of this rulemaking 
action under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and 
certifies that this proposal would not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. The proposal would 
not impose or rescind any requirements for anyone. The Regulatory 
Flexibility Act does not, therefore, require a regulatory flexibility 
analysis.

National Environmental Policy Act

    We have analyzed this proposed amendment for the purposes of the 
National Environmental Policy Act and determined that it would not have 
any significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information by a Federal agency unless 
the collection displays a valid OMB control number. This proposal does 
not propose any new information collection requirements.

National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act

    Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 
Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Public Law 104-113, section 12(d) (15 U.S.C. 272) 
directs us to use voluntary consensus standards in its regulatory 
activities unless doing so would be inconsistent with applicable law or 
otherwise impractical. Voluntary consensus standards are technical 
standards (e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling 
procedures, and business practices) that are developed or adopted by 
voluntary consensus standards bodies, such as the Society of Automotive 
Engineers (SAE). The NTTAA directs us to provide Congress, through OMB, 
explanations when we decide not to use available and applicable 
voluntary consensus standards.
    The CRABI twelve-month-old dummy that is the subject of this 
document was developed under the auspices of the SAE. All relevant SAE 
standards were reviewed as part of the development process. The 
following voluntary consensus standards have been used in developing 
the dummy:
     SAE Recommended Practice J211, Rev. Mar95 
``Instrumentation for Impact Tests'';
     SAE J1733 of 1994-12 ``Sign Convention for Vehicle Crash 
Testing''.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    Section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) 
requires Federal agencies to prepare a written assessment of the costs, 
benefits and other effects of proposed or final rules that include a 
Federal mandate likely to result in the expenditure by State, local or 
tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of more 
than $100 million in any one year (adjusted for inflation with base 
year of 1995). Before promulgating a NHTSA rule for which a written 
statement is needed, section 205 of the UMRA generally requires us to 
identify and consider a reasonable number of regulatory alternatives 
and adopt the least costly, most cost-effective or least burdensome 
alternative that achieves the objectives of the rule. The provisions of 
section 205 do not apply when they are inconsistent with applicable 
law. Moreover, section 205 allows us to adopt an alternative other than 
the least costly, most cost-effective or least burdensome alternative 
if we publish with the final rule an explanation why that alternative 
was not adopted.
    This proposal does not propose to impose any unfunded mandates 
under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. This proposal does not 
meet the definition of a Federal mandate because it does not impose 
requirements on anyone. Further, it would not result in costs of $100 
million or more to either State, local, or tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or to the private sector. Thus, this proposal is not subject 
to the requirements of sections 202 and 205 of the UMRA.

Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)

    The Department of Transportation assigns a regulation identifier 
number (RIN) to each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of 
Federal Regulations. The Regulatory Information Service Center 
publishes the Unified Agenda in April and October of each year. You may 
use the RIN contained in the heading at the beginning of this document 
to find this action in the Unified Agenda.

Comments

    How do I prepare and submit comments?
    Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your 
comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the docket 
number of this document in your comments.
    Your comments must not be more than 15 pages long. (49 CFR 553.21). 
We established this limit to encourage you to write your primary 
comments in a concise fashion. However, you may attach necessary 
additional documents to your comments. There is no limit on the length 
of the attachments.
    Please submit two copies of your comments, including the 
attachments, to Docket Management at the address given above under 
ADDRESSES.
    How can I be sure that my comments were received?
    If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of 
your comments, enclose a self-addressed,

[[Page 10968]]

stamped postcard in the envelope containing your comments. Upon 
receiving your comments, Docket Management will return the postcard by 
mail.
    How do I submit confidential business information?
    If you wish to submit any information under a claim of 
confidentiality, you should submit three copies of your complete 
submission, including the information you claim to be confidential 
business information, to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the address given 
above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. In addition, you should 
submit two copies, from which you have deleted the claimed confidential 
business information, to Docket Management at the address given above 
under ADDRESSES. When you send a comment containing information claimed 
to be confidential business information, you should include a cover 
letter setting forth the information specified in our confidential 
business information regulation. (49 CFR Part 512.)
    Will the agency consider late comments?
    We will consider all comments that Docket Management receives 
before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated 
above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also consider 
comments that Docket Management receives after that date. If Docket 
Management receives a comment too late for us to consider it in 
developing a final rule (assuming that one is issued), we will consider 
that comment as an informal suggestion for future rulemaking action.
    How can I read the comments submitted by other people?
    You may read the comments received by Docket Management at the 
address given above under ADDRESSES. The hours of the Docket are 
indicated above in the same location.
    You may also see the comments on the Internet. To read the comments 
on the Internet, take the following steps:
    1. Go to the Docket Management System (DMS) Web page of the 
Department of Transportation (http://dms.dot.gov/).
    2. On that page, click on ``search.''
    3. On the next page (http://dms.dot.gov/search/), type in the four-
digit docket number shown at the beginning of this document. Example: 
If the docket number were ``NHTSA-1998-1234,'' you would type ``1234.'' 
After typing the docket number, click on ``search.''
    4. On the next page, which contains docket summary information for 
the docket you selected, click on the desired comments. You may 
download the comments. However, since the comments are imaged 
documents, instead of word processing documents, the downloaded 
comments are not word searchable.
    Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will 
continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes 
available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, 
we recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 572

    Motor vehicle safety.

    In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA proposes to amend 49 CFR 
Part 572 as follows:

PART 572--ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DUMMIES

    1. The authority citation for Part 572 would continue to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 332, 30111, 30115, 30117; and 30166 
delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.

    2. 49 CFR Part 572 would be amended by adding a new Subpart R 
consisting of 572.150-572.156 to read as follows:

Subpart R--CRABI 12-Month-Old-Infant Crash Test Dummy

Sec.
572.150  Incorporation by reference.
572.151  General description.
572.152  Head assembly and test procedure.
572.153  Neck-headform assembly and test procedure.
572.154  Thorax assembly and test procedure.
572.155  Torso assembly and torso flexion test procedure.
572.156  Test condition and instrumentation.

Subpart R--CRABI 12-Month-Old-Infant Crash Test Dummy


Sec. 572.150  Incorporation by reference.

    (a) The following materials are hereby incorporated in this subpart 
R by reference.
    (1) A drawings and specifications package entitled ``Parts List and 
Drawings for the CRABI 12-Month-Old-Infant Crash Test Dummy (January 
1999)'';
    (2) A user's manual entitled ``User's Manual for the CRABI 12-
Month-Old-Infant Crash Test Dummy [a date will be inserted in the final 
rule]'';
    (3) SAE Recommended Practice J211, Rev. Mar95 ``Instrumentation for 
Impact Tests''
    (4) SAE J1733 of 1994-12 ``Sign Convention for Vehicle Crash 
Testing''.
    (b) The Director of the Federal Register approved those materials 
incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 
part 51. Copies of the materials may be inspected at NHTSA's Docket 
Section, 400 Seventh Street S.W., room 5109, Washington, DC, or at the 
Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 
700, Washington, DC.
    (c) The incorporated materials are available as follows:
    (1) The drawings and specifications package referred to in 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section and the user's manual referred to in 
paragraph (a)(2) of this section are available from Reprographic 
Technologies, 9000 Virginia Manor Road, Beltsville, MD 20705 (301) 419-
5070.
    (2) The SAE materials referred to paragraphs (a)(3) and (a)(4) of 
this section are available from the Society of Automotive Engineers, 
Inc., 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096.


Sec. 572.151  General description.

    (a) The representative 12 Month-Old-Infant crash test dummy is 
described by the following materials:
    (1) Technical drawings and specifications package 921022-000, the 
titles of which are listed in Table A;
    (2) Operation and Maintenance Manual (to be incorporated at 
issuance of final rule);
    (b) The dummy is made up of the component assemblies set out in the 
following Table A:

                                 Table A
------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Component assembly                     Drawing number
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Assembly..........................  921022-001
Neck Assembly (complete)...............  921022-041
Upper/Lower Torso Assembly.............  921022-060
Leg Assembly...........................  921022-055 R&L
Arm Assembly...........................  921022-054 R&L
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (c) Adjacent segments of the dummy are joined in a manner such 
that, except for contacts existing under static conditions, there is no 
contact between metallic elements throughout the range of motion or 
under simulated crash impact conditions.
    (d) The structural properties of the dummy are such that the dummy 
conforms to this part in every respect before its use in any test 
similar to those specified in Standard Nos. 208, Occupant Crash 
Protection, and 213, Child Restraint Systems.


Sec. 572.152  Head assembly and test procedure.

    (a) The head assembly for this test consists of the assembly 
(drawing

[[Page 10969]]

921022-001), triaxial mount block (SA572-80), and 3 accelerometers 
(drawing SA572-S4).
    (b) Frontal and rear impact.
    (1) Frontal impact. When the head assembly in paragraph (a) of this 
section is dropped from a height of 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8+/-0.04 in) in 
accordance with paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, the peak resultant 
acceleration at the location of the accelerometers at the head CG shall 
not be less than 100 g or more than 120 g. The resultant acceleration 
vs. time history curve shall be unimodal, and the oscillations 
occurring after the main pulse shall be less than 10 percent of the 
peak resultant acceleration. The lateral acceleration shall not exceed 
+/-15 g's.
    (2) Rear impact. When the head assembly in paragraph (a) of this 
section is dropped from a height of 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8+/-0.04 in) in 
accordance with paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section, the peak 
resultant acceleration at the location of the accelerometers at the 
head CG shall not be less than 55 g and more than 71 g. The resultant 
acceleration vs. time history curve shall be unimodal, and the 
oscillations occurring after the main pulse shall be less than 10 
percent of the peak resultant acceleration. The lateral acceleration 
shall not exceed +/-15 g's.
    (c) Head test procedure. The test procedure for the head is as 
follows:
    (1) Soak the head assembly in a controlled environment at any 
temperature between 18.9 and 25.6  deg.C (66 and 78  deg.F) and at any 
relative humidity between 10 and 70 percent for at least four hours 
prior to a test. These temperature and humidity levels shall be 
maintained throughout the entire testing period specified in this 
section.
    (2) Prior to the test, clean the impact surface of the head skin 
and the steel impact plate surface with isopropyl alcohol, 
trichlorethane, or an equivalent. Both impact surfaces must be clean 
and dry for testing.
    (3)(i) Suspend the head assembly with its midsagittal plane in 
vertical orientation as shown in Figure R1. The lowest point on the 
forehead is 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8+/-0.04 in) from the steel impact 
surface. The 1.57 mm (0.062 in) diameter holes located on either side 
of the dummy's head in transverse alignment with the CG, are used to 
ensure that the head transverse plane is level with respect to the 
impact surface. The angle between the lower surface plane of the neck 
transducer mass simulator (drawing 910420-003) and the plane of the 
impact surface is 45+/-1 degrees.
    (ii) Suspend the head assembly with its midsagittal plane in 
vertical orientation as shown in Figure R2. The lowest point on the 
back of the head is 376.0+/-1.0 mm (14.8+/-0.04 in) from the steel 
impact surface. The 1.57 mm (0.062 in) diameter holes located on either 
side of the dummy's head in transverse alignment with the CG are used 
to ensure that the head transverse plane is level with respect to the 
impact surface. The angle between the lower surface plane of the neck 
transducer mass simulator (drawing 910420-003) and the impact surface 
is 90+/-1 degrees.
    (4) Drop the head assembly from the specified height by a means 
that ensures a smooth, instant release onto a rigidly supported flat 
horizontal steel plate which is 51 mm (2 in) thick and 610 mm (24 in) 
square. The impact surface shall have a finish of not less than 0.2 
microns (8 micro inches) (RMS) and not more than 2 microns (80 micro 
inches) (RMS).
    (5) Allow at least 2 hours between successive tests on the same 
head.


Sec. 572.153  Neck-headform assembly and test procedure.

    (a) The neck and headform assembly for the purposes of this test 
consists of the neck assembly (drawing 921022-041), adapter assembly 
(drawing TE3200-160), force-moment transducer (drawing SA572-S23), and 
headform assembly (drawing TE3200-140).
    (b) When the neck and headform assembly, as defined in 
Sec. 572.153(a), is tested according to the test procedure in 
Sec. 572.153(c), it shall have the following characteristics:
    (1) Flexion.
    (i) Plane D referenced in Figure R3 shall rotate in the direction 
of pre-impact flight with respect to the pendulum's longitudinal 
centerline not less than 75 degrees and not more than 89 degrees 
between 42 milliseconds (ms) and 56 ms after time zero.
    (ii) The peak moment measured by the neck transducer (drawing 
SA572-S23) about the occipital condyles shall have a value not less 
than 37 Nm (27.3 ft-lb) and not more than 45 Nm (33.2 ft-lb) within the 
minimum and maximum rotation interval. The positive moment shall decay 
for the first time to 5 Nm (3.7 ft-lb) between 60 ms and 80 ms.
    (2) Extension.
    (i) Plane D referenced in Figure R4 shall rotate in the direction 
of preimpact flight with respect to the pendulum's longitudinal 
centerline not less than 78 degrees and not more than 90 degrees 
between 58 ms and 66 ms after time zero.
    (ii) The peak negative moment measured by the neck transducer 
(drawing SA572-S23) about the occipital condyles shall have a value not 
more than -11 Nm (-8.1 ft-lb) and not less than -23 Nm (-17.0 ft-lb) 
within the minimum and maximum rotation interval. The negative moment 
shall decay for the first time to -5 Nm (-3.7 ft-lb) between 78 ms and 
90 ms after time zero.
    (3) Time-zero is defined as the time of initial contact between the 
pendulum striker plate and the honeycomb material.
    (c) Test Procedure.
    (1) Soak the neck assembly in a controlled environment at any 
temperature between 20.6 and 22.2 deg.C (69 and 72  deg.F) and at any 
relative humidity between 10 and 70 percent for at least four hours 
prior to a test. These temperature and humidity levels shall be 
maintained throughout the entire testing period specified in this 
section.
    (2) Torque the jam nut (drawing 9001336) on the neck cable (drawing 
ATD-6206) to 0.2 to 0.3 Nm (1.9-2.4 in-lb).
    (3) Mount the neck-headform assembly, defined in paragraph (b) of 
this section, on the pendulum so the midsagittal plane of the headform 
is vertical and coincides with the plane of motion of the pendulum as 
shown in Figure R3 for flexion and Figure R4 for extension tests.
    (i) The moment and rotation data channels are defined to be zero 
when the longitudinal centerline of the neck and pendulum are parallel.
    (ii) The test shall be conducted without inducing any torsion type 
twisting of the neck.
    (4) Release the pendulum and allow it to fall freely to achieve an 
impact velocity of 5.2+/-0.1 m/s (17.1+/-0.4 ft/s) for flexion and 
2.5+/-0.1 m/s (8.2+/-0.4 ft/s) for extension measured at the center of 
the pendulum accelerometer at the instant of contact with the 
honeycomb.
    (i) Time-zero is defined as the time of initial contact between the 
pendulum striker plate and the honeycomb material. The pendulum data 
channel should be at the zero level at this time.
    (ii) Stop the pendulum from the initial velocity with an 
acceleration vs. time pulse which meets the velocity change as 
specified below. Integrate the pendulum acceleration data channel to 
obtain the velocity vs. time curve as indicated in Table B:

[[Page 10970]]



                                                                Table B.--Pendulum Pulse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Flexion                                                                 Extension
                    Time ms                     --------------------------------                 Time ms                 -------------------------------
                                                       m/s            ft/s                                                      m/s            ft/s
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.............................................  1.6-2.3         5.2-7.5         6......................................  0.8-1.2         2.6-3.9
20.............................................  3.4-4.2         11.2-13.8       10.....................................  1.5-2.1         4.9-6.9
25.............................................  4.3-5.2         14.1-17.1       14.....................................  2.2-2.9         7.2-9.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 572.154  Thorax assembly and test procedure.

    (a) Thorax Assembly. The thorax consists of the part of the torso 
assembly shown in drawing 921022-060.
    (b) When the thorax of a completely assembled dummy (drawing 
921022-000) is impacted by a test probe conforming to Sec. 572.156(a) 
at 5.0+/-0.1m/s (16.5+/-0.3 ft/s) according to the test procedure in 
paragraph (c) of this section, the peak force, measured by the impact 
probe in accordance with paragraph Sec. 572.156(a), shall be not less 
than 1600 N (360 lb) and not more than 1700 N (382 lb).
    (c) Test procedure.
    (1) Soak the dummy in a controlled environment at any temperature 
between 20.6 and 22.2 deg.C (69 and 72 F) and at any relative humidity 
between 10 and 70 percent for at least four hours prior to a test. 
These temperature and humidity levels shall be maintained throughout 
the entire testing period specified in this section.
    (2) Dress the dummy in light-weight cotton stretch short-sleeve 
shirt and above-the-knee pants.
    (3) Seat and orient the dummy on a level seating surface without 
back support as shown in Figure R5, with the lower limbs extended 
forward, parallel to the midsagittal, plane and the arms slightly 
forward of vertical with fingers barely touching the seating surface 
plane. The dummy's midsagittal plane is vertical within +/-1 degree and 
the posterior surface of the upper spine box is aligned at 90+/-1 
degrees from the horizontal. (Shim material may be used under the upper 
legs to maintain the dummy's specified spine box surface alignment).
    (4) Establish the impact point at the chest midsagittal plane so 
that the impact point of the longitudinal centerline of the probe 
coincides with the dummy's mid-sagittal plane and is centered on the 
torso 196+/-2.5 mm (7.7+/-0.1 in) vertically from the plane of the 
seating surface and is within 0.5 degrees of a horizontal plane.
    (5) Impact the thorax with the test probe so that at the moment of 
contact the probe's longitudinal center line falls within 2 degrees of 
a horizontal line in the dummy's midsagittal plane.
    (6) Guide the test probe during impact so that there is no 
significant lateral, vertical or rotational movement.
    (7) Allow at least 30 minutes between successive tests.


Sec. 572.155  Torso assembly and torso flexion test procedure.

    (a) Torso assembly. The torso assembly consists of the upper and 
lower halves as shown in drawing 921022-060. The test objective is to 
determine the flexion stiffness of lumbar spine and abdomen of a fully 
assembled dummy to flexion articulation between upper and lower halves 
of the torso assembly.
    (b) When the upper half of the torso assembly of a seated dummy is 
subjected to a force continuously applied at the occipital condyle 
level through a rigidly attached adaptor bracket as shown in Figure R6 
according to the test procedure set out in paragraph (c) of this 
section, the lumbar spine-abdomen assembly shall:
    (1) Flex by an amount that permits the thorax spine box (drawing 
921022-031) to rotate in midsagittal plane with respect to the rigidly 
affixed pelvic structure weldment (drawing 921022-035) from the initial 
spine box position to 45 degrees from the vertical, at which time the 
force level is not less than 90 N (20 lb) and not more than 120 N (27 
lb), and
    (2) Upon removal of the force, the upper torso assembly returns to 
within 10 degrees of its initial position.
    (c) Test procedure. The procedure for the upper/lower torso flexion 
stiffness test is as follows:
    (1) Soak the dummy in a controlled environment at any temperature 
between 20.6 deg. and 22.2 deg.C (69 and 72 F) and at any relative 
humidity between 10 and 70 percent for at least 4 hours prior to a 
test. These temperature and humidity levels shall be maintained 
throughout the entire testing period specified in this section.
    (2) Assemble the complete dummy and attach to the fixture in a 
seated posture as shown in Figure R6.
    (i) Secure the pelvis to the fixture at the lumbar load transducer 
or its structural replacement with a rigid bracket as shown in Figure 
R6.
    (ii) Tighten the mountings so that the pelvis-lumbar joining 
surface is horizontal within 1 deg.
    (3) Install a low weight rigid loading adapter bracket (not to 
exceed 0.50 kg (1.1 lb)) to the posterior of the thoracic spine at the 
rear surface of the upper instrumentation cavity box as shown in Figure 
R6. The loading bracket is designed such that the point of load 
application coincides with the longitudinal axis of the occipital 
condyle and also provides means for measuring the rotation of the upper 
torso.
    (4) Flex the elbow joints to 90 degrees and point the lower arms 
forward.
    (5) Inspect and adjust, if necessary, the positioning of the 
abdominal insert within the pelvis cavity and with respect to the torso 
flesh to assure uniform fit and clearances.
    (6) Attach means of loading the dummy through the point of load 
application as shown in Figure R6.
    (7) The initial orientation of the angle reference plane of the 
seated, unsupported dummy shall not exceed 20 degrees of flexion as 
shown in Figure R6. The angle reference plane is defined by the 
transverse plane the rear surface of the upper thoracic instrumentation 
cavity box makes with respect to the vertical as shown in Figure R6.
    (8) Apply a forward force in the midsagittal plane through the 
adaptor bracket as shown in Figure R6 at any upper torso deflection 
rate between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees per second, until the angle reference 
plane reaches 45 degrees of flexion with the applied force at 58.0 to 
62.0 degrees from horizontal.
    (9) Continue to apply a force sufficient to maintain 45 degrees of 
flexion for 10 seconds, and record the highest applied force during the 
10 second period.
    (10) Release all force as rapidly as possible, and measure the 
return angle with respect to the initial angle reference plane as 
defined in paragraph (c)(7) of this section 3 minutes after the 
release.


Sec. 572.156  Test conditions and instrumentation.

    (a) The test probe used for thoracic impact tests is a 100.6 mm (4 
in) diameter cylinder that weighs 2.86+/

[[Page 10971]]

-0.02 kg (6.3+/-0.04 lb), including instrumentation. Its impacting end 
has a flat right angle face that is rigid and has an edge radius of 
12.7 mm (0.5 in). The test probe has an accelerometer mounted on the 
end opposite from impact with its sensitive axis co-linear to the 
longitudinal centerline of the cylinder.
    (b) Head accelerometers have the dimensions, response 
characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in drawing 
SA572-S4 and are mounted in the head as shown in drawing 921022-000.
    (c) The neck force-moment transducer has the dimensions, response 
characteristics, and sensitive axis locations specified in drawing SA 
572-S23 and is mounted for testing as shown in figures R3 and R4.
    (d) The shoulder force transducers have the dimensions and response 
characteristics specified in drawing SA572-S25 and are allowed to be 
mounted as an option in the torso assembly as shown in drawing 921022-
000.
    (e) The thorax accelerometers have the dimensions, response 
characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in drawing 
SA572-S4 and are mounted in the torso assembly in triaxial 
configuration as shown in drawing 921022-000.
    (f) The lumbar spine force/moment transducer has the dimensions and 
response characteristics specified in drawing SA572-S23 and is mounted 
in the torso assembly as shown in drawing 921022-000.
    (g) The pelvis accelerometers have the dimensions, response 
characteristics, and sensitive mass locations specified in drawing 
SA572-S4 and are mounted within the pelvis in triaxial configuration as 
shown in drawing 921022-000.
    (h) The pubic force transducers have the dimensions and response 
characteristics specified in drawing SA572-S24 and are mounted in the 
torso assembly as shown in drawing 921022-000.
    (i) The outputs of acceleration and force-sensing devices installed 
in the dummy and in the test apparatus specified by this part are 
recorded in individual data channels that conform to the requirements 
of SAE Recommended Practice J211, Rev. Mar95 ``Instrumentation for 
Impact Test,'' with channel classes as follows:

    (1) Head and headform acceleration--Class 1000
    (2) Neck :
    (i) Forces--Class 1000
    (ii) Moments--Class 600
    (iii) Pendulum acceleration--Class 180
    (3) Thorax:
    (i) Spine and pendulum accelerations--Class 180
    (ii) Shoulder forces--Class 600
    (4) Lumbar:
    (i) Forces--Class 1000
    (ii) Moments--Class 600
    (iii) Pendulum acceleration--Class 180
    (5) Pelvis:
    (i) Accelerations and forces--Class 1000
    (ii) Moments--Class 600.

    (j) Coordinate signs for instrumentation polarity conform to the 
Sign Convention For Vehicle Crash Testing, Surface Vehicle Information 
Report, SAE J1733, 1994-12.
    (k) The mountings for sensing devices shall have no resonance 
frequency within range of 3 times the frequency range of the applicable 
channel class.
    (l) Limb joints shall be set at 1 g, barely restraining the weight 
of the limb when it is extended horizontally. The force required to 
move a limb segment shall not exceed 2 g throughout the range of limb 
motion.
    (m) Performance tests of the same component, segment, assembly, or 
fully assembled dummy shall be separated in time by period of not less 
than 30 minutes unless otherwise noted.
    (n) Surfaces of dummy components are not painted except as 
specified in this part or in drawings subtended by this part.

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    Issued March 2, 1999.
L. Robert Shelton,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 99-5509 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-C