Dec 8 2005
A new suite of ISO standards is now available to provide the automotive industry with the most advanced human crash test dummy for improving vehicle design and increasing passenger safety.
The new crash test dummy, known as WorldSID (for World Side Impact Dummy), was developed to allow a single, universally-accepted test device to be used for side impact testing in any regulation around the world.
To ensure that the WorldSID is available to the worldwide research community, the design details have been documented in ISO 15830:2005, which consists of four parts under the general title, Design and performance specifications for a 50th percentile male side impact dummy (WorldSID). This documentation, which consists of nearly 500 pages plus 400 fabrication drawings and CAD files, includes all of the design details, material specifications, and performance standards required for the fabrication of the WorldSID.
Designed by hundreds of engineers and scientists from over 45 organizations in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with over 1,000 tests performed, WorldSID represents a major breakthrough in worldwide harmonization of side impact occupant protection.
Edmund Hautmann, European Chair of the ISO task group overseeing its development (ISO WorldSID Task Group), explains its significance: "WorldSID heralds a significant improvement in the ability of crash dummies to duplicate human motions and responses in side impact tests – known as the dummy's biofidelity. It is the best of any side impact crash dummy to date and far exceeds that of others.
"In addition, as a major benefit of harmonization, introduction of a single universal dummy into regulations and consumer testing in all regions will enable manufacturers to focus and coordinate resources to improve worldwide occupant safety, rather than engineering different safety designs for different dummies."
Developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, subcommittee SC 12, Passive safety crash protection systems, working group WG 5, Anthropomorphic test devices, the suite of standards results from recent advances in electronic miniaturization and micro circuitry that provide the test engineer with a wide range of sensors and date recording instrumentation.
WorldSID's 224 sensors capture data more than 10,000 times per second and store the information in special memory boards inside the dummy, making it the most advanced (and probably the smartest) crash test dummy in the world.
Edmund Hautmann explains: "No matter how advanced and needed a tool is, it must be available, repeatable, durable, and compatible with practical day-to-day use. The WorldSID meets all such requirements. In addition, users report excellent 'user friendliness' of the dummy and good durability during both lab and vehicle testing."
This first-of-its-kind project was funded by worldwide consortium at a cost of about 14 million USD and designed by the ISO WorldSID Task Group, consisting of experts from industry and governments from three regional advisory groups: Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. The Task Group is chaired, in turn, by each of the chairpersons of the three regional groups.
http://www.iso.ch and http://www.ansi.org/