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A finite element model of a six-year-old child for simulating pedestrian accidents
Yunzhu Meng1, Wansoo Pak1, Berkan Guleyupoglu2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
Insights
A new six-year-old pedestrian finite element (FE) model was developed to improve child safety in vehicle design. This model accurately simulates pedestrian injuries, aiding in the development of safer vehicles for children.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Vehicle Safety Engineering
- Computational Modeling
Background:
- Children are highly vulnerable road users with the highest pedestrian mortality rates.
- Pediatric Finite Element (FE) models are crucial for understanding and mitigating pedestrian crash injuries.
- Existing models often lack specificity for pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a computationally efficient, simplified six-year-old pedestrian FE model (6YO-PS).
- To validate the 6YO-PS model using the latest pediatric biomechanical data.
- To enhance vehicle safety design for child pedestrians.
Main Methods:
- Morphing an existing adult pedestrian FE model to create the 6YO-PS model.
- Adjusting geometry using retrospective scan data for accuracy.
- Simulating component tests (lower extremities, pelvis) and pediatric car-to-pedestrian collisions (CPCs).
Main Results:
- The 6YO-PS model demonstrated good biofidelity at the component level, with bone models showing lower stiffness and accurate fracture forces ( < 6% error).
- Pelvis impact predictions aligned with test data trends.
- CPC simulations were stable, predicting common pedestrian injuries.
Conclusions:
- The developed 6YO-PS FE model shows good biofidelity and stability for simulating pediatric pedestrian impacts.
- This model can be utilized to investigate lower limb injury mechanisms and predict impact parameters for regulatory testing.
- Further validation will enhance its utility in improving child pedestrian safety designs.
Abstract:
Child pedestrian protection deserves more attention in vehicle safety design since they are the most vulnerable road users who face the highest mortality rate. Pediatric Finite Element (FE) models could be used to simulate and understand the pedestrian injury mechanisms during crashes in order to mitigate them. Thus, the objective of the study was to develop a computationally efficient (simplified) six-year-old (6YO-PS) pedestrian FE model and validate it based on the latest published pediatric data. The 6YO-PS FE model was developed by morphing the existing GHBMC adult pedestrian model. Retrospective scan data were used to locally adjust the geometry as needed for accuracy. Component test simulations focused only the lower extremities and pelvis, which are the first body regions impacted during pedestrian accidents. Three-point bending test simulations were performed on the femur and tibia with adult material properties and then updated using child material properties. Pelvis impact and knee bending tests were also simulated. Finally, a series of pediatric Car-to-Pedestrian Collision (CPC) were simulated with pre-impact velocities ranging from 20km/h up to 60km/h. The bone models assigned pediatric material properties showed lower stiffness and a good match in terms of fracture force to the test data (less than 6% error). The pelvis impact force predicted by the child model showed a similar trend with test data. The whole pedestrian model was stable during CPC simulations and predicted common pedestrian injuries. Overall, the 6YO-PS FE model developed in this study showed good biofidelity at component level (lower extremity and pelvis) and stability in CPC simulations. While more validations would improve it, the current model could be used to investigate the lower limb injury mechanisms and in the prediction of the impact parameters as specified in regulatory testing protocols.