Project Card 07

Thoracic Impact Test Setup - Proof-of-Concept Design for Injury Assessment

Project Pathway

🟩 Experimental / Test System Design (Proof-of-Concept)

1. Background & Motivation

Thoracic injuries are a major contributor to serious trauma and fatality in automotive crashes, falls, and blunt impact accidents. The thorax exhibits complex biomechanical behavior due to its composite structure, including the rib cage, sternum, spine, and internal organs. Experimental testing has played a key role in establishing thoracic injury criteria and validating safety systems such as seatbelts and airbags.

However, standardized thoracic impact test systems are expensive and rarely accessible in developing countries. This limits experimental investigation of thoracic injury mechanisms and evaluation of protective concepts.

This project aims to develop a proof-of-concept thoracic impact test setup, capable of reproducing key thoracic loading conditions and measuring biomechanically relevant injury metrics under realistic local resource constraints.

2. Core Biomechanical Question

How can thoracic injury mechanisms and injury criteria be experimentally investigated using a simplified, low-cost thoracic impact test setup?

3. Injury Mechanisms & Relevant Injury Criteria

The project should consider the following biomechanical aspects:

• Thoracic injury mechanisms:
  • Chest wall compression
  • Rate-dependent thoracic response
  • Load transfer through ribs and sternum
• Frontal or localized blunt impact scenarios

Relevant injury metrics may include:

• Chest deflection or compression
• Chest acceleration
• Viscous Criterion (VC)
• Force-based or combined thoracic indices (conceptual discussion)

Students must justify the selection of injury metrics with respect to the proposed test setup.

4. Modeling / Design Approach

This is a proof-of-concept experimental system design project.

The student is expected to:

• Translate thoracic injury mechanisms into test objectives
• Propose a simplified thoracic impact test configuration
• Design a system that enables controlled loading and repeatable measurement

Numerical modeling may be used optionally to support design decisions but is not required.

5. Technical Specification (Core Section)

The project must include a detailed technical proposal covering:

a) Test Setup Architecture

• Overall configuration (impactor-based, drop test, guided mass, etc.)
• Impact surface geometry and compliance
• Adjustability of loading severity (velocity, mass, displacement)

b) Thoracic Surrogate / Interface

• Type of thoracic surrogate assumed (simplified chest block, dummy torso, conceptual ATD)
• Mounting and support conditions
• Repeatability and alignment considerations

c) Instrumentation

• Sensors required (e.g., displacement sensors, accelerometers, force sensors)
• Sensor placement and orientation
• Expected signal outputs

d) Test Protocol

• Impact configurations and locations
• Loading rates and repetitions
• Safety and operational considerations

Clear schematics, block diagrams, or system layouts are expected.

6. Validation Strategy & Limitations

The project must explicitly address:

• How test results could be validated:
  • comparison with published thoracic impact experiments,
  • comparison with simplified analytical models,
  • qualitative trend validation
• What injury claims cannot be made using the proposed setup
• Limitations related to:
  • simplified thoracic surrogate,
  • reduced biofidelity,
  • limited instrumentation

This section is mandatory.

7. Feasibility & Resource Awareness

The project must include a realistic feasibility analysis:

• Estimated cost (order-of-magnitude)
• Availability of materials, sensors, and equipment in Iran
• Required infrastructure (space, safety shielding, power)
• Risk and safety management during testing

Designs assuming access to advanced laboratories or proprietary equipment will be penalized.

8. Expected Outcomes

By the end of the project, the student should deliver:

• A conceptual and technical design of a thoracic impact test setup
• Defined injury metrics and interpretation framework
• Proposed test protocols
• Recommendations for educational or preliminary research use

The outcome should be suitable as a foundation for future experimental capability development.

9. Deliverables

1. Final Report (20-25 pages, excluding appendices)
2. System schematics and design drawings
3. Testing protocol documentation
4. Cost estimation table
5. Oral presentation (15-20 minutes)

Optional appendices:

• CAD drawings
• Sensor datasheets
• Example test configurations

10. Project-Specific Grading Rubric

11. Project Scope Agreement

By choosing this project, the student agrees to:

• Focus on mechanism-oriented testing, not certification
• Respect local resource and safety constraints
• Clearly state assumptions and limitations

Note:
A well-designed thoracic impact setup can provide meaningful biomechanical insight even without full biofidelity.