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Upper Spine Acceleration

Overview​

The upper spine refers to the region of the spine around the cervical and upper thoracic regions [1]. This helps engineers and safety experts understand the potential risks of injury, particularly in terms of the forces applied to the neck, shoulders, and upper back during a vehicle collision [2]. If the ATD used in testing has an established Injury Assessment Reference Value (IARV), the maximum upper spine acceleration is reported as a percentage of that IARV to indicate potential injury severity [3].

Upper Spine
Upper Spine Region

Required Signals​

  • Upper Spine Acceleration (Y)

Calculation​

  1. Convert acceleration signals to gravity (g) (if applicable)
  2. Filter the acceleration values (CFC = 180)
  3. Calculate the maximum filtered acceleration value and the corresponding time
  4. Calculates the percent of the IARV threshold that the maximum filtered acceleration value reaches

References​

[1] Pickard O, Burton P, Yamada H, Schram B, Canetti EFD, Orr R. Musculoskeletal Disorders Associated with Occupational Driving: A Systematic Review Spanning 2006-2021. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 2;19(11):6837.

[2] Pachocki L, Daszkiewicz K, Łuczkiewicz P, Witkowski W. Biomechanics of Lumbar Spine Injury in Road Barrier Collision-Finite Element Study. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Nov 1;9:760498.