Development of a biofidelic flexible pedestrian legform impactor

Area of Science:

• Biomechanical Engineering
• Automotive Safety
• Injury Biomechanics

Background:

• The European Enhanced Vehicle-Safety Committee (EEVC) proposed a pedestrian legform impactor test procedure.
• The current Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) Pedestrian Legform Impactor (TRL-PLI) lacks biofidelity due to rigid bones and a stiff knee joint.
• This results in unnaturally stiff responses, limiting accurate assessment of pedestrian lower extremity injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biofidelic Flexible Pedestrian Legform Impactor (Flex-PLI).
• To accurately simulate human bone flexibility and knee joint stiffness in pedestrian impact tests.
• To enhance the measurement capabilities for pedestrian lower extremity injury parameters.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Flexible Pedestrian Legform Impactor (Flex-PLI) with biofidelic components.
• Integration of measurement systems for long bone strains, knee ligament elongations, and intercondylar compression forces.
• Component-level biofidelity evaluation of the thigh, leg, and knee joint of the Flex-PLI.

Main Results:

• The Flex-PLI successfully simulates human bone flexibility and knee joint stiffness.
• It enables measurement of critical injury parameters including long bone strains and knee ligament elongations.
• Component-level evaluations demonstrate improved biofidelity compared to the TRL-PLI.

Conclusions:

• The developed Flex-PLI offers a more biofidelic representation of the human legform for pedestrian impact testing.
• This advancement allows for more accurate assessment of vehicle-induced lower extremity injuries in pedestrians.
• The Flex-PLI provides a superior tool for improving vehicle safety designs and pedestrian protection strategies.