Although airbags have reduced the number of fatalities in automobile crashes, they have increased the number of minor injuries, and in particular, the incidence of upper extremity fractures.  Research has been performed to investigate the vulnerability of the forearm to frontal airbag loading.  Experiments with the small female instrumented upper extremity and human cadaver subjects have helped to elucidate the injury mechanisms and injury criteria of the male and female forearm.  Additional work is being performed to develop validated finite element models of the upper extremity that may be used in the prediction of airbag induced upper extremity injuries.

Figure:  Airbag induced upper extremity injuries often result in comminuted fractures of the distal radius and ulna.

REFERENCES:

Bass, C.R., Duma, S.M., Crandall, J.R., Pilkey, W.D., Khaewpong, N., Eppinger, R.H., "The Interaction of Airbags with Cadaveric Upper Extremities," Proceedings of the 41^st International Stapp Car Crash Conference, Orlando, Florida, November, 1997.

Duma, S.M., Rudd, R.W., Crandall, J.R., "The Automobile Airbag System," Professional  Safety: Journal of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Vol. 43, No. 10, pp. 24-27, 1999.

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