Virtual optimisation of car passenger seats: Simulation of static and dynamic effects on drivers’ seating comfort

Abstract The virtual investigation of static and dynamic effects on seating comfort requires the application of an adequate human model. An appropriate seat model considering static and dynamic properties of the structure, the foam and the trim is needed to perform an optimisation for a lower load level on the driver. The evaluation of the seating comfort must be divided into a static and a dynamic part. For the computation of the relevant physical quantities with the human model CASIMIR and a detailed seat model, the finite-element solver ABAQUS (ABAQUS Inc., http://www.abaqus.comwww.abaqus.com ) is used. To reflect a real driving situation, in the first step the human model is adapted to the right posture, which is given by the inclination of the cushion and the backrest. The seating process is then computed by the load due to gravity. The static comfort is mainly evaluated by the seat pressure distribution. Results such as the H-point and the meat-to-metal value can give additional important informations for the ergonomic and structural design of the seat. As the model reflects the nonlinear properties and the finite-element solver considers the effects out of finite displacements and contact, a good correlation with measurement is achieved. The dynamic simulation is carried out by a unit excitation of the seat slides at the clamping points. To consider frequency-dependent properties of foam, structure and the human body, the computation uses an implicit solver. Therefore the model is linearised after the nonlinear static seating process. Dynamic comfort is evaluated by the seat-transfer function. The presented numerical method leads to a good correlation with the measurements. Superposing the results with real excitation signals enables the estimation of the dynamic loads as muscle or intervertebral disc forces on the driver. Altogether this method, in an early state of the development enables the user to optimise a car passenger seat structure due to the static and dynamic comforts. Considering boundary conditions as higher load amplitudes and accelerations, the advantages of virtual development can also be applied for construction vehicle seats. Relevance to Industry The present method allows the evaluation of static and dynamic comforts in a virtual phase of seat development. Besides the reduction of time and costs, the application of the simulation enables the testing of new materials and ways of construction with low investment.