Abstract: Certificated dummy neck pendulum impacts and frontal sled tests were simulated to investigate the
dynamic mechanical behaviors of a three-point belted soft material dummy neck under impact loading, using a
validated Hybrid III 50th percentile male finite element model, and a non-linear dynamic explicit finite element
method, respectively. Some dynamic mechanical behaviors such as local stresses and strains of Hybrid III neck
were measured at two structural levels and two loading types. The results show that the loading for a Hybrid
III neck regulated certification test is severer than that for a simulated vehicle crash test. Therefore, some
experimental designs are needed for an accurate material characterization of dummy necks under crash-like
impact loading while the strains in the material tests should reach 1.5 and the strain rates should reach 50 s-1,
with the stress states including simple tension/ compression, pure shear, bi-axial tension/ compression, and bulk
compression.

Key words: crash safety, crash test, Hybrid III dummy, neck rubber, material characterization