BME 7160 – IMPACT BIOMECHANICS AND HUMAN INJURY TOLERANCE

FALL, 2000

Section: 28010 001

Time: 5:30 - 7:20 Tues, Thurs

Room: 2232 Bioengineering Center

Instructor: John M. Cavanaugh

Office location: Room 2206, Bioengineering Center

Phone number: 313-577-3916 Fax: 313-577-8333

E-mail address: cavanau@rrb.eng.wayne.edu

Web page: http://ttb.eng.wayne.edu/~cavanau/jmcweb.web

Office Hours: by appointment

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of this course are:

1. To learn basic injury scaling techniques.
2. To learn the basic principles of occupant restraint systems.
3. To learn the injury tolerance of the human body and the various body regions through a survey of pertinent biomechanics literature.
4. To learn the injury tolerance values in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and how they were derived.
5. To become familiar with the basic anatomy of the body regions studied.
6. To apply the principles above to child occupant protection.

The student's ability to meet objectives 1-5 will be evaluated with two take-home examinations. Each exam is worth 30% of the course grade.

The student's ability to meet objective 6 will be evaluated through the following:

• A written report worth 25% of the grade.
• An oral report on the same topic worth 10% of the grade.
• A demonstration of how children should be properly restrained in infant, child restraint and booster seats with materials provided by the instructor. This is worth 5% of the grade.

In summary the course grade is divided as follows:

30%: Exam #1

30%: Exam #2

25%: Written report

10%: Oral report

5%: Child restraint seat demonstration

100% Total

Grading Policy:

You will be given a percentage grade for each of the above assignments. The grade for each assignment and the final grade for the course will be obtained using the following scale:

A 96-100

A- 90-95

B+ 87-89

B 83-86

B- 80-82

C+ 77-79

C 73-76

C- 70-72

F less than 70
 
 

Textbook:

A required course pack is available at the WSU Bookstore.

Additional lecture notes will be posted on the BME 7160 Web site. To get these notes go to the BME 7160 schedule and click on the notes for that lecture day. These notes will not be handed out in class.

Both the course pack and the web-based lecture notes are required reading and subject material from these will be the entire set of information you need for exams 1 and 2.

You also might find the following book useful:

Accidental Injury: Biomechanics and Prevention. Editors: Nahum and Melvin, Publisher: Springer-Verlag, copyright 1993. If you want to purchase the book you can do so from the Society of Automotive Engineers Publications/Orders. Phone: 412-776-4970. Cost $110, Delivery 5-7 days.

EXAMINATION AND CHEATING POLICIES:

First and second examinations: These are open-book, open-notes examination. The examinations will be take-home. Each exam will have 3 or 4 questions which will require answers in essay format. Your answers must be in your own words. Copying material word-for-word from lectures notes, books, papers web sites and other students is not allowed in these examinations. Evidence that 20% or more of your work for any exam question is copied from other sources will result in a score of zero for that question. Evidence that two students have copied from each other will result in a score of zero for the entire exam for those students.

Final report: The final written report is due Thursday, December 21st. It can be turned in prior to that date. Each report is to be prepared by a team of two or three students.

The report will consist of 10-12 pages of text per student (double spaced) plus tables, figures and references. The report will be in the area of child occupant protection. The following topics are suggested:

-The biomechanical basis for FMVSS 213 requirements for child occupant protection.

-Neck injury tolerance in children with Implications in airbag and child restraint design.

-The biomechanical basis for child injury tolerance values

Detailed guidelines on the report will be forthcoming. Evidence that 20% or more of the words in your report are copied from other sources will result in a score of zero for the report. Use your own words in writing a report with proper citation of references.

Late work and make-up examination policy: Taking examinations or giving reports other than on the days listed in the attached schedule will only be allowed for exceptional personal reasons. These must be discussed with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the exam or report date except in the case of unforeseen emergencies. An unforeseen medical emergency must have written documentation with the physician's signature. Attending a work meeting is not a valid reason for postponing an exam or delaying a report.

Attendance policy: Attendance at lectures is not mandatory for this course but regular attendance can help grades in borderline cases, as in adjusting a high C+ to a B-.

Due Dates for all lectures: See attached schedule.

Dates of all exams and reports: See attached schedule.

Policy on withdrawal: Please note that the LAST day to drop a class with a tuition refund is Monday, September 18.

Also note that the College of Engineering DOES NOT ALLOW Withdrawal from courses after the FIFTH week of classes except under exceptional circumstances. FAILING of a class is NOT an acceptable excuse for withdrawal after the 5th week.

Policy on deferred grades: A grade of 'I' (Incomplete) will only be assigned if the student IS NOT currently failing the class and if there is NOT a substantial quantity of work yet to be completed. An 'I' grade MUST be made up within one year of assignment of the grade.