StacksVerified U.S. regulatory reference

49 CFR §572.78

Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
  1. (a)Conduct performance tests at any temperature from 66 °F to 78 °F, and at any relative humidity from 10 percent to 70 percent, but only after having first exposed the dummy to these conditions for a period of not less than 4 hours.
  2. (b)For the performance tests specified in § 572.72 (head), § 572.74 (thorax), § 572.75 (lumbar spine, abdomen, and pelvis), and § 572.76 (limbs), position the dummy as set out in paragraph (c) of this section.
  3. (c)Place the dummy on a horizontal seating surface covered by teflon sheeting so that the dummy's midsagittal plane is vertical and centered on the test surface.
    1. (1)The seating surface is flat, rigid, clean, and dry, with a smoothness not exceeding 40 microinches, a length of at least 16 inches, and a width of at least 16 inches.
    2. (2)For head impact tests, the seating surface has a vertical back support whose top is 12.4 ±0.2 inches above the horizontal surface, and the rear surfaces of the dummy's back and buttocks touch the back support as shown in Figure 40.
    3. (3)For the thorax, lumbar spine, and knee tests, the horizontal surface is without a back support as shown in Figure 41 (for the thorax); Figure 42 (for the lumbar spine); and Figure 43 (for the knee).
    4. (4)Position the dummy's arms and legs so that their center lines are in planes parallel to the midsagittal plane.
    5. (5)Adjust each shoulder yoke so that with its upper surface horizontal, a yoke is at the midpoint of its anterior-posterior travel.
    6. (6)Adjust the dummy for head and knee impact tests so that the rear surfaces of the shoulders and buttocks are tangent to a transverse vertical plane.
  4. (d)The dummy's dimensions are specified in drawings SA 106C 001, sheet 3, Revision A, July 11, 1997, and sheets 4 through 6.
  5. (e)Unless otherwise specified in this regulation, performance tests of the same component, segment, assembly or fully assembled dummy are separated in time by a period of not less than 20 minutes.
  6. (f)Unless otherwise specified in this regulation, the surfaces of the dummy components are not painted.