Biomechanics and Occupant Protection at DRI
Biomechanics and Occupant Protection
DRI has the expertise to perform a wide variety of biomechanical analyses including occupant dynamics, injury mechanisms and the effect of protective systems upon overall injury outcome. This analysis extends across all modes of transportation including heavy trucks, passenger vehicles, motorcycles, ATVs as well as personal watercraft. DRI staff regularly employ both full-scale tests and extensive computer simulations to properly address the needs of our clients.
DRI maintains an ISO17025 accredited impact test laboratory for the evaluation and certification of both helmets and other personal protective equipment. At the present time, the impact test laboratory has the capability of testing to almost all North American and most worldwide head protection standards including:
DOT
CPSC Bicycle
ASTM Equestrian
ASTM Soccer headgear
NOCSAE football
CSA Ice Hockey
Please contact DRI for a full list of standards.
TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Impact Test Lab
Including 6 meter monorail helmet impactor for helmet R&D, quality control, or accident reconstruction studies; guided drop assembly capable of measuring both linear and angular head accelerations; Part 572 head-neck pendulum; 6 meter twin rail drop impactor; and other pendulums and impactors. Extensive instrumentation and data acquisition capabilities, high speed camera, data reduction, analysis and documentation support.
Motorcyclist Anthropometric Test Device
Motorcyclist Anthropometric Test Devices (MATDs) are developed, manufactured, maintained, and rented by DRI. These include specialized crash test dummies for various applications, including injury evaluation and protection system feasibility research. The DRI crash dummies are unique among commercially available motor vehicle crash test dummies in that all data acquisition components, including sensors and power sources, are internal. This is especially important in applications where instrument cables could interfere with or distort dummy motions (as in, for example, unbelted car occupants, pedestrians, motorcyclists, all-terrain vehicles, etc). In this regard, it is well suited to the study of multiple impacts.