Muscular activity in normal driving and in rear end low speed crash tests

More information

Main author

Cialdai, C.

Co-Authors

Vangi, A.; Virga, A.; Cialdai, C.

Type of media

PDF

Publication type

Lecture

Publication year

2013

Publisher

22. EVU Conference, Florence

Citation

Cialdai, C.: Muscular activity in normal driving and in rear end low speed crash tests

EVU 2013 Florence CialdaiSurface electromyography (EMG) is a measurement technique that can been used to study muscular activity of human subjects. In the work described in this paper electromyography was used to evaluate muscular activity during normal driving and compare it to muscular activity prior low speed rear end crash tests, aimed at understanding if human subjects’ condition is comparable to some real life driving phase, thus assessing crash tests usefulness in the study of whiplash and in the determination of injury thresholds. The muscular activity of 9 human subjects sitting on the driver's seat of a vehicle was monitored by means of surface electromyography, during a road test drive and during low speed rear end collisions. Some muscles, chosen among those involved in whiplash mechanisms, were monitored, together with forearm and shoulder muscles in order to evaluate bracing effort. Road tests (on a city route about 5.5 km long) were carried out within normal, moderate traffic and also included some of the situations in which involvement in a rearend collision is most probable: keeping a constant speed, slowing down, braking suddenly, waiting at a traffic light, etc. The same drivers were subjected to low speed rear-end vehicle to vehicle collisions; 36 crash tests of two types were carried out (aware and unaware subject) with two nominal impact speeds (6 and 8 km/h). Volunteers were wearing a lightweight plastic headband, carrying accelerometers and a video camera target. The tests were recorded by a high speed video camera, synchronised with the accelerometers. The driving tests confirmed that different driving conditions involve different muscular activation, braking violently usually producing the highest values. During the crash test little difference was observed between aware and unaware subjects, unless a tense posture was maintained.