Reduced-Order Dynamic Model Considering Thoracic Deflection Based on Human FE Model in Frontal Car Crash

Abstract

A simple dynamic model is useful to understand the essential dynamics of an occupant in car crash and will be effective to determine the properties of protection devices. In this paper, a reduced-order dynamic model is introduced based on human finite element (FE) model having age-specific characteristics such as bone stiffness and tolerance of the body. The reduced-order dynamic model consists of two masses and one rigid body. The two masses correspond to the thorax and the lower body, and the rigid body corresponds to the upper body. The mass representing the thorax was connected to the upper body by a spring and a damper in parallel to consider the thoracic deflection, which is one of the representing injury criteria in frontal car crash. The comparisons of the responses between the reduced-order dynamic model and the human FE model were conducted in frontal car crash and indicate that the reduced-order dynamic model can approximate the thoracic deflection, the displacement, and the lower body displacement.