Can delta-V be adjusted with structural and occupant restraint performance to improve prediction of chest acceleration?

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether delta-V can be modified with a measure of vehicle structure performance and occupant restraint performance to better predict occupant peak chest acceleration during a frontal crash. A total of 619 full-scale frontal crash tests, with impact speeds ranging from 14 to 42 mph, were analyzed. Multiple linear regression was used to correlate combinations of crash severity, vehicle structure performance, and occupant restraint performance descriptors to the maximum measured crash test dummy chest acceleration. Using an adjusted R(2) selection method, the best combination of metrics were selected and then compared to a baseline model that used only delta-V to predict occupant chest kinematics. The combination of delta-V, ridedown efficiency, and the kinetic energy factor was found to provide the best prediction of the occupant chest acceleration. This combination accounted for approximately 4 times the variation in the maximum chest acceleration when compared to a model based solely on vehicle delta-V.