Shear force, compression/tension (axial) forces and bending moments are commonly measured using six axis upper or lower neck load cells with an H-III ATD. Although the H-III ATD neck fidelity was initially designed for sled testing and evaluation of airbag deployment research it has become the “gold standard’ neck bio fidelity model, in impact tests. Due to the limited bio fidelity of the H-III neck, impact results should be interpreted with extreme caution when the ATD is used in any other impact test scenario including pendulum, drop and other tests [ISO 13232 – 5(E) page 5, 4.4]. Martin also offers us a good way of calibrating our simulation software for more elaborate accident scenarios.
Martin, our 50th percentile Hybrid III Anthropomorphic Test Dummy, is as much part of the Leatt® team as anyone. His design allows us to accurately measure many impact scenarios and provides us with test results and, more importantly, repeat and compare tests. Martin is similar to those dummies used by car manufacturers and boasts a total of some 23 built-in sensors that helps ensure valid and reliable data. In addition to this, Martin has an interchangeable Motorcycle Anthropomorphic Test Dummy (MATD) neck for non-seat belted test conditions (unrestrained torso impacts). On a regular basis, we swing him, crash him and drop him, all in the name of better, more reliable products.
These dummies are designed utilizing a wide range of materials, including rubber, foam, vinyl, aluminium and steel, to create a device with high bio fidelity. By using biomechanical data and combining more than thirty years of testing and development to improve the impact response of the test dummy, it has come to closely approximate that of humans. The Hybrid III 50th Percentile Male ATDs can accommodate a wide range of instrumentation including accelerometers, load cells and transducers from the head to the toes, making it a versatile device for compliance testing and research and development. The H-III 50th % Male ATD represents a 50th % (median) male occupant in mass and inertia and is the preferred test device for FMVSS 208 testing. It is regulated by the USA Code of Federal Regulations Part 572, Subpart E, as well as in the European ECE Regulations.
Occasionally, after a hard day’s testing, Martin gets to chill with the guys. Here he sits on the workbench with his favourite loom of Rubik’s cable puzzle while Pieter analyses exactly what happened in the last batch of tests.
