64546 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Proposed Rules

(b) The overhead percentage cited below

shall be considered to include all indirect

costs including, but not limited to, field and

office supervisors and assistants, incidental

job burdens, small tools, and general

overhead allocations. ‘‘Commission’’ is

defined as profit on work performed by

others. The percentages for overhead, profit,

and commission are negotiable according to

the nature, extent, and complexity of the

work involved, but in no case shall they

exceed the following ceilings:

Overhead

(percent)

Profit

(percent)

Commission

(percent)

To Contractor on work performed by other than its own forces .................................................................... .................. .................. 10

To first tier subcontractor on work performed by its subcontractors ............................................................. .................. .................. 10

To Contractor and/or subcontractors on work performed with their own forces ........................................... 10 10 ..................

(c) Not more than four percentages for

overhead, profit, and commission shall be

allowed regardless of the number of

subcontractor tiers.

(d) The Contractor or subcontractor shall

not be allowed overhead or commission on

the overhead, profit, and/or commission

received by its subcontractors.

(e) Equitable adjustments for deleted work

shall include credits, limited to the same

percentages for overhead, profit, and

commission in paragraph (b) of this clause.

(f) On proposals covering both increases

and decreases in the amount of the contract,

the application of the overhead, profit, and

commission shall be on the net change in

direct costs for the Contractor or the

subcontractor performing the work.

(g) After receipt of the Contractor’s

proposal, the contracting officer shall act

within a reasonable period, provided that

when the necessity to proceed with a change

does not permit time to properly check the

proposal, or in the event of a failure to reach

an agreement on a proposal, the contracting

officer may order the Contractor to proceed

on the basis of the price being determined at

the earliest practicable date. In such a case,

the price shall not be more than the increase

or less than the decrease proposed.

(End of clause)

[FR Doc. 97–31935 Filed 12–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7510–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

49 CFR Part 572

[Docket No. NHTSA–97–3144]

RIN 2127–AG74

Side Impact Anthropomorphic Test

Dummy

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: This notice proposes

specifications and qualification

requirements for a newly-developed

anthropomorphic test dummy. The

dummy would be used in compliance

testing under an earlier companion

proposal to amend the standard on head

impact protection. The earlier proposal

would facilitate the introduction of

dynamic side impact protection devices

by permitting vehicle manufacturers to

comply with alternative performance

requirements. To demonstrate

compliance with those requirements,

that proposal specifies a dynamic crash

test which uses the new dummy.

DATES: Comment closing date:

Comments on this notice must be

received by NHTSA no later than

January 22 1998.

ADDRESSES: Any comments should refer

to the docket and notice number of this

notice and be submitted (preferably in

10 copies) to: U.S. Department of

Transportation, Docket Management

Room PL–401, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The following persons at the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration,

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,

DC 20590:

For non-legal issues: Stan Backaitis,

Office of Crashworthiness Standards,

NPS–11, telephone (202) 366–4912,

facsimile (202) 366–4329, electronic

mail ‘‘sbackaitis@nhtsa.dot.gov’’.

For legal issues: Otto Matheke, Office

of the Chief Counsel, NCC–20,

telephone (202) 366–5253, facsimile

(202) 366–3820, electronic mail

‘‘omatheke@nhtsa.dot.gov’’.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

This proposal supplements an earlier

proposal previously published in the

Federal Register that would amend

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard

(FMVSS) No. 201, Head Impact

Protection. [62 FR 45202] The earlier

companion proposal would facilitate the

introduction of dynamic side impact

protection devices by permitting vehicle

manufacturers to comply with

alternative performance requirements.

To demonstrate compliance with those

requirements, that proposal specifies a

dynamic crash test. In the test, a vehicle

would be propelled sideways at a speed

of 29 km/h (18 mph) into a 254 mm (10

inch) rigid pole. An anthropomorphic

test dummy would be in the outboard

front seat on the struck side of the

vehicle. This notice proposes the

specifications and calibration

requirements for that test dummy.

The dummy proposed in this notice is

based on two existing dummies, the part

572, subpart F anthropomorphic test

device (Side Impact Dummy or SID) that

is used in testing under FMVSS 214,

Side Impact Protection, and the part

572, subpart E anthropomorphic test

device (Hybrid III or HIII) that is used

in testing under FMVSS 208, Occupant

Crash Protection. The proposed dummy

would combine the head and neck of

the Hybrid III (HIII) with the torso and

extremities of the Side Impact Dummy

(SID) through the use of a redesigned

neck bracket. The agency tentatively

concludes that the resulting SID/HIII

dummy would be operational and

adequate for use in the proposed rule.

II. Agency Proposal

The specifications for the proposed

side impact dummy would consist of (1)

a drawing package containing all of the

technical details of the neck bracket

used for mating the SID torso with the

HIII head and neck assembly, (2) a parts

list, and (3) a SID/HIII user manual

containing instructions for inspection,

assembly, disassembly, use, and

adjustments of dummy components.

These drawings and specifications

would ensure that the dummies would

be the same in their construction. The

performance calibration tests proposed

in this NPRM would serve to assure that

the SID/HIII responses are within the

established biomechanical corridors and

further assure the uniformity of dummy

assembly, structural integrity, and

adequacy of instrumentation. As a

result, the repeatability of the dummy’s

performance in dynamic testing would

be ensured.

The dummy would be instrumented

with an accelerometer array for

measurement of accelerations in the

head during impacts. The rule would

specify the manner and location of

installation of sensors to reduce

variability in their measurements that

might otherwise result from differences

in location and mounting.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Proposed Rules 64547

1The BioSid dummy was developed in response

to concerns regarding the SID and EuroSid

dummies. It was developed by a Side Impact

Dummy Task Force created under the sponsorship

of the Society of Automotive Engineers Human

Biomechanics and Simulation Standards Commitee

(SAE–HBSSC).

Drawings and specifications for the

SID/HIII are available for examination in

the NHTSA Docket Section. Copies of

those materials and the user manual

may also be obtained from Reprographic

Technologies, 9000 Virginia Manor

Road, Beltsville, Md. 20705, tel. (301)

210–5600. In addition, an engineering

drawing for the neck bracket and the

neck brackets themselves are available

on a short term loan basis from the

NHTSA Vehicle Research and Test

Center, East Liberty, Ohio 43319, tel.

(937) 666–4511.

A. Description

On August 26, 1997, NHTSA

published a notice of proposed

rulemaking [62 FR 45202] containing

amendments to Standard No. 201. The

proposed amendments, offered in an

effort to provide maximum flexibility to

manufacturers in developing dynamic

head protection systems, include an

optional test procedure incorporating a

full scale side impact test with a 29 km/

h (18 mph) side impact into a 254 mm

(10 inch) rigid pole. In this test, the

subject vehicle would be propelled into

the pole so that the pole would impact

at the center of gravity of the head of a

seated dummy positioned on the

designated front outboard seating

position of the struck side.

Since the free motion headform

(FMH) used in Standard 201 testing

cannot be used for evaluating HIC in

such an impact and the Hybrid III head

and neck assembly appears to be the

most biofidelic test device currently

available for evaluating head injury in

side impacts, the agency is proposing

that the Hybrid III head and neck be

used with the existing SID dummy for

this test. The Hybrid III head and neck

currently provides the best means for

evaluating head injury in this test while

the use of the SID torso affords an

opportunity to collect meaningful data

relating to thoracic injuries.

The SID (part 572; subpart F) body

and lower extremities would be

combined with the Hybrid III (part 572;

subpart E) head and neck assembly to

form a new dummy test device called

SID/HIII (part 572; subpart M). The SID/

HIII at 170 lbs is approximately 1.2 lbs

heavier than the SID, due to the

incremental weight increase of the

Hybrid III neck component and the new

neck bracket. However, the SID/HIII is

approximately 2.0 lbs lighter than the

Hybrid III 50th percentile dummy (172

lbs +/¥2.4 lbs). Therefore, the weight of

the SID/HIII dummy would be within

the limits of the existing SID and Hybrid

III dummies. The new neck bracket is

designed so that the seating height of

the SID and the SID/HIII would be

nearly identical. To accommodate the

new neck bracket, the design of the

existing upper and middle shoulder

foam pads were revised from one piece

to two piece right and left mirror image

designs without altering either the

padding’s peripheral shape and its

thickness or its attachment to the torso.

Relative to the SID, the head center of

gravity (head CG) of the SID/HIII is,

however, 0.75 inch higher and 0.25 inch

more forward when the Hybrid III head/

neck assembly is mounted to the SID

torso using the new neck bracket. This

change also more correctly reflects the

head and neck orientation of a seated

occupant. As discussed in the

Preliminary Regulatory Evaluation

(PRE) for the earlier companion

proposal to amend Standard 201, agency

test data established that this minor

discrepancy of the head CG location

would not have any significant effect on

the HIC, TTI and Pelvis-G responses.

Detailed descriptions of the SID/HIII

dummy test device are given in the

proposed part 572, subpart M, S572.110

through S572.116.

B. Biofidelity of the SID/HIII Dummy in

Lateral Impact

The agency has tentatively concluded

that the Hybrid III head and neck is the

most biofidelic configuration now

available for assessing injuries to the

head and neck in side impacts. That

conclusion was based on testing of the

three side impact dummies; BioSid, 1

EuroSid and SID. The testing was

performed in 1990 by two GM

researchers (Mertz and Irwin) using the

latest biofidelity test conditions and

requirements agreed to by Working

Group 5 of ISO/T22/SC12 at that time.

A total of 4 sets of tests were performed.

Because BioSid uses the Hybrid III head

and neck assembly, the test data

generated to verify the lateral impact

response characteristics of the BioSid

head/neck system are believed by

NHTSA to be useful in predicting the

performance of the SID/HIII dummy.

The agency’s review of these tests,

which is discussed in greater detail in

the PRE prepared for the August 26,

1997 NPRM proposing changes to

Standard 201, indicates that the Hybrid

III head-neck assembly has sufficient

biofidelity for assessing side impact

protection. Using the ISO/SC12/WG5

methodology and biofidelity rating

system for the assessment of the various

body segments, NHTSA rates the SID/

HIII dummy ‘‘Fair’’ for side impact

application purposes. In comparison,

the BioSid received a ‘‘Fair’’ rating

while the SID and the EuroSid were

both deemed to be ‘‘Marginal.’’ None of

the dummies evaluated received a rating

greater than ‘‘Fair’’—which exceeds the

ISO/SC12/WG5 recommended

acceptable level for a dummy test

device. Although a better side impact

dummy may be developed in the future,

based on the above analysis, NHTSA

tentatively concludes that, for the

immediate future, the SID/HIII is a

sufficient and an acceptable test device

to evaluate the risk of injury to the head

in case of a side impact.

C. Test Results of the SID/HIII Dummy

(1) Repeatability and Reproducibility

Tests

In 1990, NHTSA issued a final rule

amending FMVSS No. 214 to require

full scale side crash tests to evaluate

side impact protection of passenger

vehicles. The rule specified the use of

the SID dummy as a human surrogate to

assess the risk of injury in side crashes.

Two alternative dummy development

efforts, the EuroSid-1 and the BioSid,

were in progress at that time. The

BioSid uses the Hybrid III head/neck

system. NHTSA evaluated the BioSid in

1988 and compared its performance to

the SID. A series of lateral impact

calibration tests were performed in 1990

using two BioSid dummies. It was

concluded that the calibration responses

of the BioSid are both repeatable and

reproducible to within the response

boundaries generally accepted for

anthropomorphic test dummies. The

results of the lateral head drop tests and

lateral neck pendulum tests of those two

BioSid dummies are listed in Table IV–

8 of the PRE prepared for the August 26,

1997 NPRM proposing amendments to

Standard 201. The agency also

conducted two additional lateral head

drop tests and five neck pendulum tests

using the head/neck components of a

third dummy. The test results also are

listed in Table IV–8 of the PRE.

Based on those test data, the

repeatability of the dummy head/neck

certification response was found to be

exceptionally good. The coefficient of

variation for each dummy component is

extremely small, ranging from 0.97

percent to 2.6 percent. The

reproducibility of the head/neck system

response of the two BioSid dummies

that were manufactured by one

manufacturer at the same period of time

is also excellent because the coefficient

of variation is within the 5 percent

norm. When the test data of the third

dummy is added for the reproducibility
64548 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Proposed Rules

evaluation, the coefficient of variation of

the neck rotation angle in lateral

bending motion increases to

approximately 5.5 percent which is just

slightly outside the range of the

‘‘excellent’’ reproducibility rating. It is

within the ‘‘good’’ reproducibility rating

that is generally defined by a coefficient

of variation ranging between 5 percent

and 10 percent. Although as a result of

the additional dummy test the

deviations of the head acceleration and

the neck moment responses also

increase, they are still within the

‘‘excellent’’ reproducibility rating range.

(2) Durability Tests

BMW recently conducted a series of

side-to-pole impact tests to assess the

effectiveness of its inflatable tubular

structure (ITS) system in side impact

protection. On April 19, 1996, BMW

submitted its confidential test data to

NHTSA as part of the BMW comments

on the ANPRM announcing the

proposed amendments to Standard 201.

[61 FR 9136] The dummy test device

used in the BMW ITS evaluation tests is

a SID dummy with the Hybrid III head/

neck system whose seated height is

approximately 0.75 inches higher than

that of the SID. However, it was also

noted that the head CG of the BMW

dummy was about 1.5 inches higher

than that of the SID dummy.

It is possible that a taller seated

dummy, particularly whose head CG is

substantially higher, may exhibit

modified head/neck kinematics and/or

dynamic responses in a lateral impact,

which could lead to the design of

different head protection systems. The

agency tentatively concludes that it is

reasonable to modify the existing neck

bracket in order to maintain the

dummy’s seated height within the range

of heights of 50th percentile male

dummies. For this reason, the NHTSA

modified neck bracket provides a means

to approximate the original SID seated

height and the head/neck posture while

minimizing the increase in the height of

the head CG of the SID/HIII dummy by

approximately 0.75 inch. Inasmuch as

the above changes minimize the

dimensional and mass distribution

deviations from the currently specified

SID, the new neck bracket is included

in the construction of the SID/HIII

dummy.

A total of nine sled lateral impact

tests were conducted by NHTSA to

assess the durability of the new neck

bracket and its potential effects on

dummy responses. The sled buck

consisted of a bench seat with low

friction surfaces and two rigid loading

plates on the impacted side at the lateral

end of the seat. The lower plate was up

to the dummy’s shoulder height and

was covered with 4 inch thick cushion

(Ethafoam LC 220). The non-padded

upper plate was at the head height level.

In each test, the SID/HIII was seated

on the bench with the torso in an

upright position. The sled buck was

oriented at a right angle to the direction

of sled travel and accelerated to a speed

of 18 mph. The direction of motion of

the dummy was horizontal, parallel to

the seating surface and perpendicular to

and toward the loading plates. The test

matrix consisted of three tests each for

the Part 572 Subpart F SID dummy, the

SID with the Hybrid III head/neck using

the Subpart F neck bracket, and the SID/

HIII dummy with the new neck bracket.

The test results, contained in Table

IV–10 of the PRE prepared for the

August 26, 1997 NPRM proposing

amendments to Standard 201, indicate

that the proposed new neck bracket is

structurally sufficient and durable for

the intended purpose. There was no

sign of bracket damage in head impacts

producing a HIC value as high as

approximately 5,000. This impact

severity is beyond the norm of the headto-upper interior impact test responses.

Most important, the new neck bracket

would bring the head height down to

the normal range of the 50th percentile

male seated dummy and does not have

significant effects on the HIC, TTI and

pelvis-g responses.

D. Proposed Calibration Tests

The agency proposes that the

following calibration test specifications

and procedures, which make use of the

existing dummy test fixtures and

equipment, be adopted for the SID/HIII:

1. Head Drop Test Specifications

The head is dropped from 200 mm

onto a flat, steel plate such that its

midsagittal plane makes a 35 degree

angle with respect to the impact surface

and its anterior-posterior axis is

horizontal. When the dummy head is

dropped in accordance with the above

test procedure, the following

specifications are to be met:

a. The resultant acceleration of the

center of gravity of the head shall be

between 120 and 150 G.

b. The resultant acceleration-time

curve shall be unimodal such that no

oscillation after the main acceleration

peak shall exceed 15 percent of the peak

resultant head acceleration.

c. The longitudinal acceleration

component shall not exceed 15 G.

2. Neck Pendulum Test Specifications

The proposed test procedure is

similar to the Hybrid III neck test,

except the entire head/neck assembly is

rotated 90 degrees when attached to the

neck pendulum. The pendulum is

identical to that used in the Hybrid III

neck calibration tests and the impact

velocity is between 6.89 and 7.13 m/s.

When the neck is tested in accordance

with the proposed test procedure, the

following specifications are to be met:

a. The pendulum deceleration pulse is

to be characterized in terms of its

change (decrease) in velocity as

obtained by integrating the pendulum

accelerometer output.

Time (ms) Pendulum

Delta-V (m/s)

10 ......................................... 1.96 to 2.55.

20 ......................................... 4.12 to 5.10.

30 ......................................... 5.73 to 7.01.

40 to 70 ............................... 6.27 to 7.64.

b. The maximum rotation of the

midsagittal plane of the head shall be 64

to 78 degrees with respect to the

pendulum. The decaying head rotation

vs. time curve shall cross the zero angle

between 50 to 70 ms after reaching its

peak value.

c. The moment about the x-axis which

lies in the midsagittal plane of the head

at the level of the occipital condyles

shall have a maximum value between 88

and 108 Nm. The decaying moment vs.

time curve shall first cross zero moment

between 40 and 60 ms after reaching its

peak value.

The following formula is to be used to

calculate the moment about the

occipital condyles when using the sixaxis neck transducer:

M=Mx+0.01778 Fy

Where Mx and Fy are the moment and

force measured by the transducer and

expressed in terms of Nm and N,

respectively.

d. The maximum rotation of the head

with respect to the pendulum shall

occur between 0 and 20 ms after peak

moment.

3. Temperature Sensitivity and Time

Between Tests

The calibration test specifications for

the Hybrid III head and neck

components apply. The lateral head

drop tests would be conducted at 18.9–

25.6 degrees C at a relative humidity

from 10–70 percent. The lateral neck

pendulum tests would be conducted at

20.6–22.2 degrees C at a relative

humidity from 10–70 percent.

The head and neck components

would be soaked at these conditions for

at least four hours before testing. A

waiting period of two hours would be

required between two consecutive tests

using the same head component. A

waiting period of at least thirty (30)
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Proposed Rules 64549

minutes would be required between

successive tests on the same neck.

III. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

A. Executive Order 12291 (Federal

Regulation) and DOT Regulatory Polices

and Procedures

This notice was not reviewed

pursuant to E.O. 12866, ‘‘Regulatory

Planning and Review.’’ NHTSA has

considered the impacts of this

rulemaking action and determined that

it is not significant within the meaning

of the Department of Transportation’s

regulatory policies and procedures.

The proposed amendments would not

require any vehicle design changes but

would instead only specify the

construction of a new neck bracket to

join existing components to create the

test dummies used to evaluate a

vehicle’s compliance with Standard No.

201 under one of three test options. The

agency believes that the cost of the new

neck bracket is approximately $200 to

$300. The neck bracket is the only new

hardware that would be required for

those already employing the SID and

HIII dummies for compliance testing to

standards other than Standard 201.

Costs associated with the use of the

proposed SID/HIII in the optional side

impact test proposed in the August 26,

1997 NPRM are estimated to be $1,750

for calibration tests for the head, neck,

lumbar spine, thorax and pelvis.

Therefore, the impacts of the proposed

amendments would be so minimal that

a full regulatory evaluation is not

required.

The agency has prepared a

Preliminary Regulatory Evaluation

describing the economic and other

effects of the rulemaking action

proposing amendments to Standard No.

201 requiring the use of this proposed

test dummy. Summary discussions of

many of those effects are provided

above. For persons wishing to examine

the full analysis, a copy is being placed

in the docket.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980

(Public Law 96–354) requires each

agency to evaluate the potential effects

of a proposed rule on small businesses.

Modifications to dummy designs affect

motor vehicle manufacturers, few of

which are small entities. The Small

Business Administration (SBA) has set

size standards for determining if a

business within a specific industrial

classification is a small business. The

Standard Industrial Classification code

used by the SBA for Motor Vehicles and

Passenger Car Bodies (3711) defines a

small manufacturer as one having 1,000

employees or less.

Very few single stage manufacturers

of motor vehicles within the United

States have 1,000 or fewer employees.

Those that do are not likely to perform

testing that would require use of the

SID/HIII test device and would be much

more likely to contract with a larger

manufacturer or a test facility to perform

such testing. For this reason, NHTSA

believes that this proposal would not

have a significant impact on any small

business.

C. Paperwork Reduction Act

In accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–

511), there are no requirements for

information collection associated with

this proposed rule.

D. National Environmental Policy Act

NHTSA has also analyzed this

proposed rule under the National

Environmental Policy Act and

determined that it would not have a

significant impact on the human

environment.

E. Executive Order 12612 (Federalism)

and Unfunded Mandates Act

NHTSA has analyzed this proposal in

accordance with the principles and

criteria contained in E.O. 12612, and

has determined that this proposed rule

would not have significant federalism

implications to warrant the preparation

of a Federalism Assessment.

In issuing this proposal for

specifications to create a new test

dummy by joining components of two

existing dummies with a new neck

bracket, the agency notes, for the

purposes of the Unfunded Mandates

Act, that it is pursuing the least cost

alternative. Also, as noted above, this

test device will be used if a

manufacturer chooses one of three

options to test for compliance with

Standard 201. As the selection of that

option would not be required by this

proposal or by the earlier companion

proposal, and as this rulemaking does

not require use of this new test dummy,

this rulemaking does not impose new

costs. While manufacturers choosing to

test for compliance under the optional

tests requiring use of the proposed test

dummy would incur additional costs,

these costs would be negligible.

F. Civil Justice Reform

This proposed rule would not have

any retroactive effect. Under 49 U.S.C.

30103, whenever a Federal motor

vehicle safety standard is in effect, a

State may not adopt or maintain a safety

standard applicable to the same aspect

of performance which is not identical to

the Federal standard, except to the

extent that the state requirement

imposes a higher level of performance

and applies only to vehicles procured

for the State’s use. 49 U.S.C. 30161 sets

forth a procedure for judicial review of

final rules establishing, amending or

revoking Federal motor vehicle safety

standards. That section does not require

submission of a petition for

reconsideration or other administrative

proceedings before parties may file suit

in court.

Submission of Comments

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on the proposal. It is

requested but not required that 10

copies be submitted.

All comments must not exceed 15

pages in length. (49 CFR 553.21).

Necessary attachments may be

appended to these submissions without

regard to the 15-page limit. This

limitation is intended to encourage

commenters to detail their primary

arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit

certain information under a claim of

confidentiality, three copies of the

complete submission, including

purportedly confidential business

information, should be submitted to the

Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street

address given above, and seven copies

from which the purportedly confidential

information has been deleted should be

submitted to the Docket Section. A

request for confidentiality should be

accompanied by a cover letter setting

forth the information specified in the

agency’s confidential business

information regulation. 49 CFR part 512.

All comments received before the

close of business on the comment

closing date indicated above for the

proposal will be considered, and will be

available for examination in the docket

at the above address both before and

after that date. To the extent possible,

comments filed after the closing date

will also be considered. Comments

received too late for consideration in

regard to the final rule will be

considered as suggestions for further

rulemaking action. Comments on the

proposal will be available for inspection

in the docket. NHTSA will continue to

file relevant information as it becomes

available in the docket after the closing

date, and it is recommended that

interested persons continue to examine

the docket for new material.

Those persons desiring to be notified

upon receipt of their comments in the

rules docket should enclose a selfaddressed, stamped postcard in the

envelope with their comments. Upon
64550 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 1997 / Proposed Rules

receiving the comments, the docket

supervisor will return the postcard by

mail.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 572

Motor vehicle safety, Incorporation by

reference.

In consideration of the foregoing, it is

proposed that 49 CFR part 572 be

amended as follows:

PART 572—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for Part 572

of Title 49 would continue to read as

follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115,

30117, and 30166; delegation of authority at

49 CFR 1.50.

2. A new Subpart M, consisting of

sections 572.110 through 572.116 would

be added to read as follows:

Subpart M—Side Impact Hybrid Dummy

50th Percentile Male

Sec.

572.110 Incorporated materials.

572.111 General description.

572.112 Head assembly.

572.113 Neck assembly.

572.114 Thorax.

572.115 Lumbar spine and pelvis.

572.116 Instrumentation and test

conditions.

Subpart M—Side Impact Hybrid

Dummy 50th Percentile Male

§ 572.110 Incorporated materials.

(a) The drawings, specifications, and

manual referred to in this subpart that

are not set forth in full are hereby

incorporated in this part by reference.

These materials are thereby made part of

this subpart.

(b) The materials incorporated in this

part by reference are available for

examination in the general reference

section of Docket No. 88–07, Docket

Section, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, Room 5109, 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC.

§ 572.111 General description.

(a) The dummy consists of component

parts and component assemblies

defined in drawing SA–SIDH3–M001,

dated 4/19/1997, which are described in

approximately 200 drawings and

specifications that are set forth in

§§ 572.32, 572.33 and 572.41(a)(3), (4),

(5) and (6), and in the drawing of the

Adaptor Bracket 96–SIDH3–001.

(1) The head assembly consists of the

assembly specified in subpart E

(§ 572.32) and conforms to each of the

drawings subtended under drawing

78051–61X rev. C.

(2) The neck assembly consists of the

assembly specified in subpart E

(§ 572.33) and conforms to each of the

drawings subtended under drawing

78051–90 rev. A.

(3) The thorax assembly consists of

the assembly shown as number SID 053

and conforms to each applicable

drawing subtended by number SA–SID

M030 rev. A.

(4) The lumbar spine consists of the

assembly specified in subpart B

(§ 572.9(a)) and conforms to drawing SA

150 M050 and drawings subtended by

SA–SID M050 rev. A.

(5) The abdomen and pelvis consist of

the assembly specified in subpart B

(§ 572.9) and conform to the drawings

subtended by SA 150 M060, the

drawings subtended by SA 150 M060

rev. A and the drawings subtended by

SA–SID–087 sheet 1 rev. H, and SA–

SID–87 sheet 2 rev. H.

(6) The lower limbs consist of the

assemblies specified in subpart B

(§ 572.10) shown as SA 150 M080 and

SA 150 M081 in Figure 1 and SA–SID–

M080 and SA–SID–M081 and conform

to the drawings subtended by those

numbers.

(7) The neck mounting adaptor

bracket conforms to drawing 96–SIDH3–

001.

(8) Upper and middle shoulder foams

conform to drawing 96–SIDH3–006.

(b) The structural properties of the

dummy are such that the dummy

conforms to the specifications of this

Subpart in every respect both before and

after being used in vehicle tests

specified in Standard No. 201.

(c) Disassembly, inspection and

assembly procedures, external

dimensions, weight and drawing list are

set forth in the SIDH3 User’s Manual,

dated May 1997.

(d) Sign convention for signal outputs

is given in the reference document SAE

J1733 of 1994–12, ‘‘Sign Convention for

Vehicle Crash Testing’’, SAE,

Warrendale, Pa.

§ 572.112 Head assembly.

The head assembly consists of the

head (drawing 78051–61X, rev. C) with

the neck transducer structural

replacement (drawing 78051–383X, rev.

P) and three (3) accelerometers that are

mounted in conformance to S572.36(c).

(a) Test Procedure. (1) Soak the head

assembly in a test environment at any

temperature between 18.9 to 25.6

degrees C. (66 to 78 degrees F.) and at

a relative humidity from 10 percent to

70 percent for a period of at least four

(4) hours prior to its application in a

test.

(2) Clean the impact surface of the

head skin and impact plate surface with

1,1,1 trichloroethane or equivalent prior

to the test.

(3) Suspend the head, as shown in

Figure 51, so that the midsagittal plane

makes an angle of 35 +/¥1 degrees with

the impact surface and its anteriorposterior axis is horizontal +/¥1 degree.

(4) Drop the head from a height of 200

+/¥0.25 mm (7.87 +/¥0.01 inches),

measured from the lowest point on the

head, by a means that ensures a smooth,

clean release into a rigidly supported

flat horizontal steel plate, which is 50

+/¥2 mm thick and 610 +/¥10 mm

square. The plate shall have a clear, dry

surface and has any microfinish of 8 to

80 microinch/inch rms.

(5) Allow at least two (2) hours

between successive tests on the same

head.

(b) Performance Criteria. (1) When the

head assembly is dropped in accordance

with S572.112(a), the measured peak

resultant acceleration shall be between

120 and 150 G’s.

(2) The resultant acceleration-time

curve shall be unimodal to the extent

that oscillations occurring after the main

acceleration pulse shall not exceed 15

percent (zero to peak) of the main pulse.

The longitudinal acceleration vector

shall not exceed 15 G’s.

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§ 572.113 Neck assembly.

The head/neck assembly (consisting

of the parts 78051–61X, rev. C; –84; –90,

rev. A; –94; –98; –104, revision F; –303,

rev. E; –305; –306; –307, rev. X) which

has a six axis neck transducer (drawing

C–1709, revision D) installed in

conformance with S572.36(d).

(a) Test Procedure. (1) Soak the head

and neck assembly in a test

environment at any temperature

between 20.6 to 22.2 degrees C. (69 to

72 degrees F.) and at a relative humidity

from 10 percent to 70 percent for a

period of at least four (4) hours prior to

its application in a test.

(2) Torque the jamnut (78051–64) on

the neck cable (78051–301, rev. E) to

1.35+/¥0.27 Nm (1.0 +/¥0.2 ft-lb)

before each test.

(3) Using neck brackets 78051–303

and ¥307, mount the head/neck

assembly to the part 572 pendulum test

fixture (see S572.33, Figure 22) so that

the midsagittal plane of the head is

vertical and perpendicular to the plane

of motion of the pendulum’s

longitudinal centerline (see S572.33,

Figure 20, except that the direction of

the head/neck assembly is rotated

around the superior-inferior axis by an

angle of 90 degrees). Install suitable

transducers or other devices necessary

for measuring the ‘‘D’’ plane (horizontal

surface at the base of the skull) rotation

with respect to the pendulum’s

longitudinal centerline. The rotation can

be measured by placing a transducer at

the occipital condyles and another at

the intersection of the centerline of the

neck and the line extending from the

base of the neck as shown in Figure 52.

(4) Allow the neck to flex without the

head or neck contacting any object.

(5) Release the pendulum and allow it

to fall freely from a height to achieve an

impact velocity of 6.89 to 7.13 m/s (22.6

to 23.4 ft/sec) measured at the center of

the pendulum accelerometer.

(6) Time zero is defined as the time

of initial contact between the striker

plate and the pendulum deceleration

medium.

(7) Allow a period of at least thirty

(30) minutes between successive tests

on the same neck assembly.

(b) Performance Criteria. (1) The

pendulum deceleration pulse is to be

characterized in terms of decrease in

velocity as obtained by integrating the

pendulum acceleration output.

Time (ms) Pendulum

Delta-V (m/s)

10 ......................................... 1.96 to 2.55.

20 ......................................... 4.12 to 5.10.

30 ......................................... 5.73 to 7.01.

40 to 70 ............................... 6.27 to 7.64.

(2) The maximum rotation of the

midsagittal plane of the head shall be 64

to 78 degrees with respect to the

pendulum’s longitudinal centerline. The

decaying head rotation vs. time curve

shall cross the zero angle between 50 to

70 ms after reaching its peak value.

(3) The moment about the x-axis

which coincides with the midsagittal

plane of the head at the level of the

occipital condyles shall have a

maximum value between 88 and 108

Nm. The decaying moment vs. time

curve shall first cross zero moment

between 40 and 60 ms after reaching its

peak value. The following formula is to

be used to calculate the moment about

the occipital condyles when using the

six-axis neck transducer:

M=Mx+0.01778 Fy

Where Mx and Fy are the moment and

force measured by the transducer and

expressed in terms of Nm and N,

respectively.

(4) The maximum rotation of the head

with respect to the pendulum’s

longitudinal centerline shall occur

between 0 and 20 ms after peak

moment.

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§ 572.114 Thorax.

The specifications and test procedure

for the thorax are identical to those set

forth in § 572.42.

§ 572.115 Lumbar spine and pelvis.

The specifications and test procedure

for the lumbar spine and pelvis are

identical to those set forth in § 572.43.

§ 572.116 Instrumentation and test

conditions.

(a) The test probe for lateral thoracic

and pelvis impact tests are the same as

those specified in S572.44(a).

(b) Accelerometer mounting in thorax

is the same as specified in S572.44(b).

(c) Accelerometer mounting in pelvis

is the same as specified in S572.44(c).

(d) Head Accelerometer mounting is

the same as specified in S572.36(c).

(e) Neck transducer mounting is the

same as specified in S752.36(d).

(f) Instrumentation and sensors used

must conform to the Recommended

Practice SAE J–211 (Mar 1995)—

Instrumentation for Impact Test.

(g) The mountings for the spine, rib

and pelvis accelerometers shall have no

resonance frequency within a range of 3

times the frequency range of the

applicable channel class.

(h) Limb joints of the test dummy are

set at the force between 1 to 2 g’s, which

just supports the limb’s weight when

the limbs are extended horizontally

forward. The force required to move a

limb segment does not exceed 2 g’s

throughout the range of the limb

motion.

(i) Performance tests are conducted at

any temperature from 20.6 to 22.2

degrees C. (69 to 72 degrees F.) and at

any relative humidity from 10 percent to

70 percent after exposure of the dummy

to those conditions for a period of at

least four (4) hours.

(j) For the performance of tests

specified in S572.42 and S572.43, the

dummy is positioned the same as

specified in S572.44(h).

Issued on November 26, 1997.

L. Robert Shelton,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 97–31611 Filed 12–5–97; 8:45 am]

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