Motor vehicle collisions frequently result in serious or fatal inuries to occupants [1–4]. Frontal collisions are amongst the most severe types of accidents. The use of safety systems such as seat belts and airbags has been shown to reduce the severity of injuries sustained by occupants [5–10]. It is well known that frontal airbags act as supplemental restraints to seat belts in protecting occupants. Airbag deployment occurs through a reaction of chemicals in the inflator that rapidly produces gas and fills the canvas bag. The filled bag acts a cushion between the occupant and the vehicle’s interior components. The supplemental restraint provided by the airbag increases the amount of time and distance over which the occupant’s body decelerates, and accordingly reduces the potential for injury. The time at which the airbag deployment is initiated during the crash sequence can have an effect on the nature of the contact between occupant and airbag. Though properly timed, frontal airbags have been shown to reduce injuries sustained to occupants[11], it has been reported that airbags that deploy too late may cause injury[12]. To date, there have been a very limited number of studies that have addressed the biomechanical effects of late airbag deployment. The purpose of this study is to determine the biomechanical effects of late airbag deployment and restraint use on various sizes of occupants through computer simulation.
The management of cesarean section in kyphoscoliotic patient is challenging. The respiratory changes and increased metabolic demands due to pregnancy may compromise the limited respiratory reserves in such patients. Presence of other comorbidities like malaria and respiratory tract infection will further compromise the effective oxygenation. We report a case of kyphoscoliosis along with malaria and acute respiratory distress syndrome for urgent cesarean section.
The objective of the present study is two-fold. First, the elucidation of the biomechanics of penetrating trauma as a result of guardrail intruding into the occupant compartment. Second, the evaluation of the biomechanical efficacy of hybrid tension-compression guardrails to better protect occupants. The nine fatally guardrail penetrating crashes occurred between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed to study the mechanism of injuries. Four car-to-guardrail crash tests were conducted using a hybrid guardrail that integrated the commonly used W-beam with a new design of tension-based end terminal. The test included the impact of a bogey-type platform, small sedan vehicles, and a pick-up truck at highway speeds onto the guardrail. The impact orientation was varied to simulate the frontal and oblique corner crashes with a speed ranging from 90 to 111 kph. The real-world studies showed that the fatal injuries were due to impaling guardrail regardless of vehicular speed and size. The occupants not in the trajectory of the guardrail in the same vehicle sustained minor injuries despite experiencing a similar energy level. In these cases, the crash severity was survivable without the guardrail penetration. The mean pre-impact speed, change in speed, and vehicular acceleration was 117 kph, 20 kph, and 97 m/sec2, respectively. The hybrid guardrail system deflected the vehicle without any penetration into the occupant compartment. The mean peak accelerations in crash tests were below injurious threshold levels. The present research shows that the hybrid guardrail system not only eliminated the intrusion into occupant survival space but also deflected the vehicle.
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