[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