Development and Validation of an Active Muscle Simplified Finite Element Human Body Model in a Standing Posture

Extravehicular activities will play a crucial role in lunar exploration on upcoming Artemis missions and may involve astronauts operating a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) in a standing posture. This study assessed kinematic response and injury risks using an active muscle human body model (HBM) restrained in an upright posture on the LTV by simulating dynamic acceleration pulses related to lunar surface irregularities. Linear accelerations and rotational displacements of 5 lunar obstacles (3 craters; 2 rocks) over 5 slope inclinations were applied across 25 simulations. All body injury metrics were below NASA’s injury tolerance limits, but compressive forces were highest in the lumbar (250–550N lumbar, tolerance: 5300N) and lower extremity (190–700N tibia, tolerance: 1350N) regions. There was a strong association between the magnitudes of body injury metrics and LTV resultant linear acceleration (ρ = 0.70–0.81). There was substantial upper body motion, with maximum forward excursion reaching 375 mm for the head and 260 mm for the chest. Our findings suggest driving a lunar rover in an upright posture for these scenarios is a low severity impact presenting low body injury risks. Injury metrics increased along the load path, from the lower body (highest metrics) to the upper body (lowest metrics). While upper body injury metrics were low, increased body motion could potentially pose a risk of injury from flail and occupant interaction with the surrounding vehicle, suit, and restraint hardware.

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Influence of Pre-Crash Vehicle Maneuvers on Front Passenger Safety Performance Response

Dahiya,

Untaroiu

2023

SAE Int. J. Trans. Safety

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<div>Pre-crash vehicle maneuvers are known to affect occupant posture and kinematics, which consequently may influence injury risks during a collision. In this study, the influence of pre-crash vehicle maneuvers on the injury risks of front-seated occupants during a frontal crash was numerically evaluated. A generic buck vehicle model was developed based on a publicly available FE model, which included the vehicle interior and the front passenger airbag (PAB). The pre-crash phase was simulated using specific rigid-body human models with active joints (GHBMCsi-pre models) developed based on exterior shapes of the simplified deformable human model (GHBMCsi) representing a 50th male subject. Two pre-crash maneuvers representing (1) a generic 1g braking and (2) turning-and-braking scenarios were simulated. Then, the kinematics data of belted GHBMCsi-pre models were transferred using a developed switch algorithm to the corresponding GHBMCsi models, which can predict occupant injury risks. Finally, an FMVSS 208 pulse (NCAP pulse with delta V of 56 km/h) was applied to simulate the in-crash phase. Injury metrics were recorded for the belted GHBMCsi model to evaluate the passenger injury risks. Overall, it was concluded that pre-crash braking decreased the severity of injury sustained by the passenger. The success of the methodology used in this study, to simulate reasonable and computationally efficient pre-crash and in-crash phases, suggests using it for more advanced studies where additional parameters (e.g., BMI, age, etc.) could also be taken into consideration.</div>

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Development and Validation of an Active Muscle Simplified Finite Element Human Body Model in a Standing Posture

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Effect of Active Muscles on Astronaut Kinematics and Injury Risk for Piloted Lunar Landing and Launch While Standing

Effect of Active Muscles on Astronaut Kinematics and Injury Risk for Piloted Lunar Landing and Launch While Standing

Injury Risk Predictions in Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Extravehicular Activities (EVAs): A Pilot Study

Influence of Pre-Crash Vehicle Maneuvers on Front Passenger Safety Performance Response

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