Guidance on Sensor Choices for High Speed Impact Sensing

[ConnorM]

I am a fourth year biomedical and mechanical engineering student and my final project has to do with designing a crash test dummy. The end goal is to mount the dummy on a bicycle and launch it at ~20kh/h, then it will be struck by an automobile driving at ~30km/h. Various different impact scenarios (side, rear, etc.) will be tested.

My task has to do with sensing/measuring the impact force, and the accelerations on the dummy's head. I have never dealt or learned anything about sensors so I am looking for some guidance on what sort of sensors I should be looking at. This project will have some small amount of funding so I clearly cannot go out and purchase $500 devices.

Right now I know that I will be concerned with the sampling rate as it must be able to measure and record the moment of impact. I have looked around and read that a gyroscope may be a good idea for acceleration measurement. I'm not quite sure what to look for in force sensors, however, the impact force may be somewhere around 4 kN.

If anyone could provide me with somewhere to start, either sensor reccomendations or something to read to help me understand what I should be looking for that would be great.

 

[Tom.G]

For a purely mechanical accelerometer, maybe a captive mass sliding on a bar, spring loaded holding the mass at one end of the bar, a ratchet mechanism so that the mass stays at the maximum displacement on the bar. Need one for each axis.

Here is a possible with a USB computer interface.
https://www.microdaq.com/onset-hobo-pendant-acceleration-data-logger.php

Try searching.
https://www.google.com/search?q=3-axis+accelerometer+data+logger
https://www.google.com/search?q=miniature+force+sensor+1000+lbs

 

[Nidum]

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/crash-test1.htm

 

[Asymptotic]

I recall reading a thorough article in http://www.sensorsmag.com/ magazine regarding the sensors used in crash test dummy