Validating diverse human body models against side impact tests with post-mortem human subjects.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational modeling
• Injury prevention

Background:

• Finite element human body models (HBMs) are crucial for simulating crash scenarios.
• Accurate prediction of impact responses requires HBMs that reflect diverse human anthropometry.
• Existing models often lack the ability to represent variations in stature and shape effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the capability of morphed finite element (FE) human body models (HBMs) to replicate the impact responses of post-mortem human subjects (PMHS).
• To assess the accuracy of these morphed HBMs across various body sizes and shapes in side impact scenarios.
• To compare the performance of morphed HBMs against standard and scaled FE models.

Main Methods:

• Seven FE HBMs were created by morphing a midsize male THUMS model to match the dimensions of seven PMHS.
• Ten side impact tests on PMHS at 3m/s and 8m/s were simulated using both morphed and original/scaled THUMS models.
• Model accuracy was quantified using the CORrelation and Analysis (CORA) method, comparing predicted forces, accelerations, and deflections to experimental data.

Main Results:

• Morphed HBMs achieved high CORA scores (0.78–0.80) for thorax, abdomen, iliac-wings, and greater-trochanter impacts.
• The original and scaled THUMS models showed markedly lower CORA scores (0.60–0.73) compared to the morphed models.
• Morphed HBMs demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in reproducing PMHS impact responses across all tested conditions.

Conclusions:

• Accounting for individual size and shape effects is essential for accurately predicting human responses in side impacts.
• Morphed FE HBMs offer a substantial improvement in predictive accuracy over standard models for diverse anthropometries.
• This study highlights the necessity of personalized or adaptable HBMs for reliable biomechanical impact simulations.