EXPERIMENTAL IMPACT PROTECTION WITH ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEMS: PRELIMINARY PRIMATE TESTS WITH AIR BAG AND INERTIA REEL/INVERTED-Y YOKE TORSO HARNESS

Both the inverted-Y yoke torso harness with inertia reel and the air- bag restraint system have had extensive independent development for some time by several engineering and research organizations for both aviation and ground vehicle occupant protection. The research reported in this paper consists of the first biomechanical primate evaluation of these concepts as experimentally adapted for possible automotive use. These tests are a continuation of a study involving the relative impact protection and effectiveness of major restraint systems utilized in general aviation aircraft and in limited automotive use. The objective of this test series was to determine how much protection those advanced restraint concepts provided to obtain preliminary biomechanical and physiological data to identify problems of technique and applications in occupant protection and to provide an initial basis for direction of future test requirements. Since over 60 tests of baboon subjects now have been conducted with various restraint systems under identically controlled impact conditions, valid relative assessments of the impact injury protection offered by these systems may be made. Conclusions of the relative value of these restraint systems for automotive use to protect occupants during impact are discussed from a biomechanical viewpoint.