John Bolte

• The Ohio State University

div>Drop tower testing was conducted using 50th percentile male PMHS at 15G peak acceleration in a rigid seat, with a seat pan-to-seatback angle of 90°. Subjects were instrumented with 6DOF motion blocks at T1, T4, T12, L3, and S1 to capture detailed vertebral body kinematics. Pressure sensors were also placed throughout the lumbar spine to estimat...

div class="section abstract"> The goal of this study was to gather and compare kinematic response and injury data on both female and male whole-body Post-mortem Human Surrogates (PMHS) responses to Underbody Blast (UBB) loading. Midsized males (50th percentile, MM) have historically been most used in biomechanical testing and were the focus of the...

div>Oblique motor vehicle crashes can cause serious head or brain injuries due to contact with interior vehicle structures even with the deployment of air bags, as they are not yet completely successful in preventing traumatic brain injury. Rotational head velocity is strongly correlated to the risk of brain injury, and this head motion is potentia...

Vision Zero is a global paradigm within the transportation community centered around ending road traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Vision Zero was initially a national road policy implemented in Sweden in 1997 and has become a global movement. The strategic design of Vision Zero is to establish an integrated Safe System approach, which is bu...

Children assume a range of postures when utilising belt-positioning boosters, which may influence belt fit and have implications for dynamic performance. This study evaluates the belt fit and posture of children on boosters while assuming different postures: self-selected, holding device, and nominal. Children (n=25) were recruited (4-11 years, 103...

The objective of this study was to assess the biofidelity of the Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) 50th male (M50-O) v6.0 seated in an upright (25-degree recline) all-belts-to-seat (ABTS) in a 56 km/h rear-facing frontal impact. The experimental boundary conditions from the post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) tests were replicated in the co...

Objective: In 2020, 17% of all crash fatalities were individuals aged 65 years or older. Crash data also revealed that for older occupants, thoracic related injuries are among the leading causes of fatality. Historically, the majority of near-side impact postmortem human subjects (PMHS) studies used a generic load wall to capture external loads th...

Objective: One potential nonstandard seating configuration for vehicles with automated driving systems (ADS) is a reclined seat that is rear-facing when in a frontal collision. There are limited biomechanical response and injury data for this seating configuration during high-speed collisions. The main objective of this study was to investigate tho...

A key component of the forensic anthropological examination is skeletal trauma analysis, which accounts for the majority of forensic anthropologists’ expert testimonies. However, a major gap in the current knowledge surrounding skeletal trauma has been identified, specifically the data necessary to conduct comprehensive bone trauma analysis with es...

Learning Overview: After attending this presentation, attendees will understand the importance and value of multidisciplinary experimental skeletal trauma research through an examination of strain modes (e.g., tension or compression) during fracture of human tibiae in a bending loading mechanism. Impact on the Forensic Science Community: This prese...

Learning Overview: Upon completion of this workshop, attendees should be able to: (1) provide an overview of current methods across disciplines for identification and analysis of blunt force skeletal trauma; (2) identify and analyze blunt force skeletal trauma utilizing X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT) scans, photographs, and 3D virtual models; and...

The Forensic Anthropology Skeletal Trauma (FAST) database is a novel resource, funded by the National Institute of Justice, which provides trauma analysis data for education, training, and case comparisons. Students, academics, and practitioners can gain an interdisciplinary perspective of skeletal trauma through an examination of outcomes from exp...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to generate biomechanical response corridors of the small female thorax during a frontal hub impact and evaluate scaled corridors that have been used to assess biofidelity of small female anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and human body models (HBMs). Methods: Three small female postmortem human subject...

The objective of this study was to develop an analytical model using strain-force relationships from individual rib and eviscerated thorax impacts to predict bony thoracic response. Experimental eviscerated thorax forces were assumed to have two distinct responses: an initial inertial response and subsequently, the main response. A second order mas...

The tibia is the most commonly fractured lower extremity bone in pedestrian versus motor vehicle crashes [1]. Specifically, the diaphysis is the most frequently fractured region of the tibia [2]. Previous studies have demonstrated considerable variation in number of fractures, fracture type, and fracture group in experimental 4-point bending of hum...

This study sought to evaluate the influence of initial belt torso contact (belt gap) and belt fit provided by belt-positioning booster seats on various kinematic and kinetic outcomes. Frontal crash tests (n=18) were conducted at a peak deceleration of 22.5±1.0 g using the Q-Series 6-year-old (Q6), Q-Series 10-year-old (Q10), and Large Omni Directio...

Objective: Cervical spine injuries in children under 10 frequently involve the craniocervical junction. In patients too small for conventional spinal instrumentation, treatment may involve placement of a halo orthotic, and these patients will frequently be discharged home in a halo orthotic. To date, little research has been done on the biomechanic...

The aged population has been associated with an increased risk of injury in car-crash, creating a critical need for improved assessment of safety systems. Finite element human body models (HBMs) have been proposed, but require representative geometry of the aged population and high mesh quality. A new hybrid Morphing-CAD methodology was applied to...

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that gap between the seatbelt and torso (reduced belt torso contact) for children on belt-positioning booster seats (BPBs) may lead to less torso engagement and increased likelihood of shoulder belt slip-off during evasive vehicle maneuvers, potentially increasing injury risk during crashes. However, curre...

Tibia fractures are the most common injury in vehicle-to-pedestrian impacts. To provide accurate injury risk predictions, sex differences in tibia properties should be investigated. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between structural properties and cortical bone morphometric parameters of tibiae in males and females. Ten...

Shoulder and lap belt scores have been previously quantified for anthropomorphic test devices on belt-positioning booster seats; however, they may not fully discriminate between good vs. poor dynamic outcomes. To determine the influence of initial belt fit and gap on dynamic outcomes, the ability of anthropomorphic test devices to represent realist...

Objectives The objective was to understand how the use or nonuse of the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system affects the performance of booster seats during frontal impacts. Methods Sixteen frontal impact sled tests were conducted at 24.8 ± 0.3 g and 50.1 ± 0.2 kph. A production vehicle seat buck was attached to the sled. Four hig...

Whole-body PMHS (Post Mortem Human Surrogate) testing was conducted on the Accelerative Loading Fixture (ALF), which is designed to generate floor and seat loading conditions at the level, rate, location, direction, and extent seen in UBB (Underbody Blast). The overarching goal of this research effort was to examine potential differences in the low...

Objectives The objective was to build and test an automated, interactive educational system to teach adults how to install a child restraint system (CRS) into a vehicle seat. Methods The automated feedback system (AFS) consisted of a mockup vehicle fixture, convertible CRS, and doll. Sensors were implemented into the equipment so that forward-faci...

Lead vehicle stopped crashes are a top contributor to traffic and health care expenditures out of NHTSA’s 37 pre-crash scenarios. It is important to better understand how these crashes occur, so that evolving autonomous vehicle technologies may be tailored towards injury mitigation in crash-imminent scenarios. Additionally, as autonomous vehicle te...

Motor vehicle crashes can produce serious head or brain injuries due to contact with interior vehicle structures. It has been found through both field data analysis and experimental testing that many of these brain injuries occur in oblique crashes, even with the deployment of air bags. Research has determined that rotational head velocity is stron...

Objective Assess strength in adult females using multiple positions, motions, and contraction types, to better understand strength production of young and non-symptomatic of adult female subjects to help assess and improve the biofidelity of anthropomorphic test devices and human body models. Methods Fifteen adult females (25.4 ± 6.3 years) were r...

The objective of this study was to generate biomechanical corridors from post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) in two different seatback recline angles in 56 km/h sled tests simulating a rear-facing occupant during a frontal vehicle impact. PMHS were placed in a production seat which included an integrated seat belt. To achieve a repeatable configurati...

Due to high-rate loads placed on the torso during motor vehicle crashes, the human thorax is commonly injured, and resulting rib fractures are linked to fatalities. The goal of this study was to explore the variation in strain modes, magnitudes, and rates of rib levels 3-8 in a dynamic, distributed loading scenario in a series of hierarchical tissu...

Background: With active safety and automated vehicle features becoming more available, unanticipated pre-crash vehicle maneuvers, such as evasive swerving, may become more common, and they may influence the resulting effectiveness of occupant restraints, and consequently may affect injury risks associated with crashes. Therefore, the objective of...

One potential non-standard seating configuration for vehicles with automated driving systems is to have seating that faces the centre of the vehicle. This would result in the rear-facing seats experiencing rear-impact crash dynamics when the vehicle is in a frontal collision. Because rear crashes often occur at low speeds, there are limited biomech...

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are part of a new and budding industry in the United States. Economic and public benefits associated with UAS use across multiple commercial sectors are driving new regulations which alter the stringent laws currently restricting UAS flights over people. As new regulations are enacted and m...

Thoracic injuries are frequently observed in motor vehicle crashes, and rib fractures are the most common of those injuries. Thoracic response targets have previously been developed from data obtained from post-mortem human subject (PMHS) tests in frontal loading conditions, most commonly of mid-size males. Traditional scaling methods are employed...

This study investigated the response of the Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) M50-O v4.5 model in a simulated thoracic impact and compared to the responses of post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) in physical experiments. The model was simulated in four tissue states: intact, intact with upper limbs removed, denuded (superficial tissue remove...

Objective: Precrash occupant motion may affect head and trunk position and restraint performance in a subsequent crash, particularly for young children. Others have studied seat belt–restrained adult drivers and adult and adolescent passengers in precrash maneuvers. For younger children, optimal restraint includes a belt-positioning booster seat, w...

Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine whether specific child restraint system (CRS) or vehicle conditions improve top tether attachment rates during volunteer installations. Methods: A factorial randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate 4 different experimental categories: (1) Color of tether adjuster casing (black or re...

Objective: Emergency braking can potentially generate precrash occupant motion that may influence the effectiveness of restraints in the subsequent crash, particularly for rear-seated occupants who may be less aware of the impending crash. With the advent of automated emergency braking (AEB), the mechanism by which braking is achieved is changing,...

The high fatality rate of the elderly in traffic accidents is one of the important issues in traffic safety. It is necessary to consider the influence of age and gender to reduce traffic fatalities of elderly occupants according to previous studies. The objective was to identify representative accident scenarios for elderly female occupants in side...

A recent study of all mounted vehicle underbody blast attacks found that 21% of Abbreviated Injury Scale Severity 2+ injuries in the Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat network were injuries to the leg and ankle. To develop effective countermeasure systems for these attacks, the epidemiology and mechanisms of injury from this l...

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine whether the amount of tension required for proper child restraint system (CRS) installation varies with lower anchor spacing and to determine whether nonexperts can produce adequate tension on wider-than-standard lower anchor configurations. Methods: CRSs were installed by certified child pas...

Thoracic injuries continue to be a major health concern in motor vehicle crashes. Previous thoracic research has focused on 50th percentile males and utilized scaling techniques to apply results to different demographics. Individual rib testing offers the advantage of capturing demographic differences; however, understanding of rib properties in th...

Despite safety advances, thoracic injuries in motor vehicle crashes remain a significant source of morbidity and mortality, and rib fractures are the most prevalent of thoracic injuries. The objective of this study was to explore sources of variation in rib structural properties in order to identify sources of differential risk of rib fracture betw...

Head and neck responses of anthropomorphic test devices and computational human body models should be validated in different impact modes, e.g., frontal, oblique, side, and twist. The main objective of this study is to create biomechanical response targets of the head and neck of post mortem human surrogates using a controlled mini-sled system in v...

In an attempt to increase trunk mobility of astronauts in the Orion space capsule upon re-entry and landing on Earth, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) designed a planetary suit body seal closure (BSC). This BSC is a stainless steel, interlocking ring, that would be surrounding the torso of Orion occupants and allow for compa...

OBJECTIVE: During a frontal vehicle crash, for children seated in the rear seat, the first points of contact with the vehicle interior are often the foot, ankle, or tibia. The objective of this study was to evaluate leg interaction with the front seatback during a frontal collision using a prototype Hybrid III 6 year‐old anthropomorphic test device...

Objective: Few studies have looked at the effectiveness of the top tether during side impacts. In these studies, limited anthropomorphic test device (ATD) data were collected and/or few side impact scenarios were observed. The goal of this study was to further understand the effects of the top tether on ATD responses and child restraint system (CRS...

Background Cerebral palsy (CP) is a developmental disorder of movement and posture that occurs due to damage to the developing nervous system. As part of therapy, wearable sensors that trigger interactive feedback may provide multi-sensory guidance and motivation. A prototype of a heel-strike real-time feedback system has been developed which recor...

Objective Analyze booster and rear vehicle seat dimensions to identify the most frequent compatibility problems. Methods Measurements were collected from 40 high-back and backless boosters, and 95 left rear and center rear row seating positions in 50 modern vehicles. Dimensions were compared for 3800 booster/vehicle seat combinations. For validatio...

Rib fractures sustained during motor vehicle crashes are a common cause of increased mortality, and their causes within and between individuals is not fully understood. This study aimed to identify the effect of body height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) on measured structural properties of human ribs. Two‐ hundred sixty one ribs from one‐...

This study investigated the biofidelity of anthropomorphic test device (ATD) abdomens subjected to a belt loading test condition. A total of six ATD/abdomen insert combinations were subjected to belt loading using a seatbelt pull mechanism, with the ATDs seated upright in a free‐back configuration. Three 50th percentile male ATDs were tested, inclu...

As the number of elderly drivers and occupants continues to increase, it is important that vehicle safety equipment and restraint systems are investigated to understand if current systems are protecting these occupants during frontal collisions. The objective of this study is to examine thoracic injury to post mortem human subjects over the age of...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of chestbands on both global and local thoracic response. A total of twenty-two frontal impacts were imposed on two post-mortem human surrogates, using a 23 kg pneumatic impactor. Impacts were at speeds of 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m/s, and there were either 0, 1, or 2 chestbands on the subject. The...

Background: Reports estimate that 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of concussion occur in sports and recreation each year in the United States. Despite continued efforts to reduce the occurrence of concussion, the rate of diagnosis continues to increase. The mechanisms of concussion are thought to involve linear and rotational head accelerations and veloc...

Background Although the relationship between low back pain (LBP) and the size of certain trunk muscles has been extensively studied, the relationship between gluteus maximus (GM) size and LBP has been only minimally examined. Determining whether such a relationship exists would help improve our understanding of the etiology of LBP, and possibly pro...

Objective: Vehicle safety is improving, thus decreasing the number of life-threatening injuries and increasing the need for research in other areas of the body. The current child anthropomorphic test device (ATD) does not have the capabilities or instrumentation to measure many of the potential interactions between the lower extremity and the vehic...

The human thorax is commonly injured in motor vehicle crashes, and despite advancements in occupant safety rib fractures are highly prevalent. The objective of this study was to quantify the ability of gross and cross-sectional geometry, separately and in combination, to explain variation of human rib structural properties. One hundred and twenty-t...

Motor vehicle collision (MVC) was the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with an estimated 292,202 people (17.3%) sustaining a TBI from MVC annually. MVC resulted in the largest percentage of TBI related deaths with 16,402 occurring annually (31.8%). Six degrees of freedom (6 DOF) rigid body kinematics are often measured using six...

Gymnastics has a lifetime cumulative injury rate of 58%, with 13-53% of injuries occurring at the upper limb. Back handsprings (BHS) are a common skill used in gymnastics. BHS and similar upper limb loading skills may occur over 100 times per practice. Current literature states, a turned in hand position reduces peak ground reaction force at impact...

Objectives: In order to understand the mechanisms of TBI and develop proper safety measures, it is essential that accurate instrumentation methods are utilized. The Brain Injury Criterion (BrIC) has been developed and validated to predict brain injuries in combination with the head injury criterion (Takhounts et al., 2011 Takhounts EG, Hasija V, Ri...

Objective: The objectives of this research are to develop a current overview of booster and rear vehicle seat dimensions and to predict potential compatibility problems across the US market as a whole. Methods: Measurements were collected from forty boosters, including high-back and backless models. Measurements were also collected from ninety-fiv...

Past studies have found that a pressure based injury risk function was the best predictor of liver injuries due to blunt impacts. In an effort to expand upon these findings, this study investigated the biomechanical responses of the abdomen of post mortem human surrogates (PMHS) to high-speed seatbelt loading and developed external response targets...

Thoracic injuries from motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are common in children and the elderly and are associated with a high rate of mortality for both groups. Rib fractures, in particular, are linked to high mortality rates which increase with the number of fractures sustained. Anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and computational models have been de...

Most anthropomorphic test devices possess both an upper neck and a lower neck load cell to measure the risk of neck injury in crash simulations. For post‐mortem human subject (PMHS) testing, the neck is frequently assumed to be a “massless link”. It is unknown how much error is generated by this assumption. The objective of this study is to investi...

Issue Injury research underfunding and limited translation of findings limits development of new technological solutions. Description of solution The US National Science Foundation (NSF) developed industry-university-government cooperative research centres (I/UCRCs) to provide a mechanism for filling gaps in pre-commercial research and development...

Incomplete instrumentation and a lack of biofidelity in the extremities of the 6 year-old anthropomorphic test device (ATD) pose challenges when studying regions of the body known to interact with the vehicle interior. This study sought to compare a prototype Hybrid III 6 year-old ATD leg (ATD-LE), with a more biofidelic ankle and tibia load cell,...

A blast buck (Accelerative Loading Fixture, or ALF) was developed for studying underbody blast events in a laboratory-like setting. It was designed to provide a high-magnitude, high-rate, vertical loading environment for cadaver and dummy testing. It consists of a platform with a reinforcing cage that supports adjustable-height rigid seats for two...

Objective: Child restraint system (CRS) misuse is common and can have serious consequences to child safety. Physical incompatibilities between CRS and vehicles can complicate the installation process and may worsen CRS misuse rates. This study aims to identify the most common sources of incompatibility between representative groups of CRS and vehi...

In a previous study, a comparison of cervical spine kinematics between a current rear impact dummy, BioRID II, and post mortem human subjects (PMHS) was made by subjecting them to moderate speed rear impacts while positioned in an experimental seat. The objective of this study is to make a similar comparison of head and cervical spine kinematics in...

The ability to measure six degree of freedom head kinematics in impact conditions (i.e. motor vehicle crashes and sport activities) plays an important role in injury assessment of the head/neck complex. Potential accuracy of head instrumentation schemes have recently been improved by using advanced angular rate sensors, so in this study an instrume...

Multiple injury risk factors for elderly occupants, such as lower bone density, geometry changes to the pelvis and ribs, and pre-existing medical conditions, may contribute to a higher risk of injury in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), especially side crashes. According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2003, th...

Helmet-based instrumentation is used to study the biomechanics of concussion. The most extensively used systems estimate rotational acceleration from linear acceleration, but new instrumentation measures rotational velocity using gyroscopes, potentially reducing error. This study compared kinematics from an accelerometer and gyroscope-containing sy...

The purpose of this study was to compare the response of the Total HUman Model for Safety (THUMS) total body finite element model to experimental Post Mortem Human Subject (PMHS) test results and evaluate possible injuries caused by suit ring elements. Experimental testing evaluated the PMHS response in frontal, rear, side, falling and spinal impac...

The objective of this study was to obtain head and cervical spine responses of post mortem human subjects (PMHS) in moderate speed rear impacts while positioned in production seats. Instrumentation used to measure biomechanical responses of the PMHS included both accelerometers and angular rate sensors (ARS). A total of seven sled tests using seven...

Previously Rhule et al. [1] impacted PMHS thoraxes at 4.5 m/s in a pure lateral or 30° anterior oblique direction. Mean normalized force‐deflection responses demonstrated similar characteristics for both lateral and oblique impacts, indicating that it may be reasonable to combine lateral and oblique responses at this speed to define characteristic...