Testing of the WorldSID-5F to Support Injury Risk Function Development and Assessment of Other Performance Issues

Global Technical Regulation Informal Groups have directed a WorldSID Technical Evaluation Group to document the performance of the WorldSID-50M (50th percentile male) and 5F (5th percentile female). This research contributes to the evaluation of the WorldSID-5F. It documents pendulum and sled tests carried out to aid both the biofidelity assessment by the WorldSID Informal Group and injury risk development by ISO/TC22/SC12 Working Group 6 (WG6). Issues concerning contacts between the pelvis bone and lumbar-sacral components, and interaction between the pelvis flesh and lowest rib, were also investigated. The WorldSID-5F test programme consisted of 26 sled and 51 pendulum tests, in a variety of impact configurations, matching the biofidelity and injury risk test requirements specified by ISO. The WorldSID-5F generally performed as expected. The dummy biofidelity was shown to be outside of several ISO targets. However, this performance has been demonstrated previously with the Revision 1 release of the dummy and may still represent an improvement over other, currently available, side impact dummies. Dummy handling was found to be good at typical vehicle test severities. Test-to-test use of the dummy was straightforward; however, durability is predicted to be a problem when trying to achieve the high test severities needed in the development of injury risk functions. Contacts were detected between the pubic symphysis and anterior-inferior corner of the sacral load cell mounting and between the iliac wing and the lumbar spine mounting bracket. These contacts occurred in sled and pendulum tests at severity levels substantially below those specified for many of the biofidelity and injury risk tests. In the pendulum test programme contacts were also detected between the shoulder and the neck bracket. Such a contact provides an uninstrumented load path.