Quantitative Validation of a Human Body Finite Element Model Using Rigid Body Impacts

Area of Science:

• Biomechanical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Occupant Safety Research

Background:

• Finite Element Models (FEM) are crucial for simulating human body responses in impact scenarios.
• Model validation ensures the reliability of FEM predictions in automotive safety engineering.
• The Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) provides advanced human body models for research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the GHBMC full-body average male occupant FEM.
• To assess the model's performance in five localized loading scenarios: chest, shoulder, thoracoabdominal, abdominal, and pelvic impacts.
• To evaluate the model's capability in predicting injury severity and fractures.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of FEM force and deflection outputs against experimental data.
• Utilizing ISO/TS 18571 standards for quantitative assessment of model-experiment correlation.
• Evaluating predicted fractures and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores against experimental findings.

Main Results:

• The FEM demonstrated close correlation with experimental force and deflection data across all tested impact locations.
• Peak forces predicted by the model were comparable to experimental values, with minor deviations.
• The model successfully predicted rib and pelvic fractures within experimentally observed ranges, with the exception of the abdominal impact.

Conclusions:

• The GHBMC average male occupant FEM shows good validation for localized impact scenarios.
• The validated model serves as a reliable tool for engineers in advancing occupant safety.
• Further refinement may be needed for specific scenarios like abdominal impacts to improve injury prediction accuracy.