A Finite Element Model of the Lower Limb for Simulating Automotive Impacts

A finite element (FE) model of a vehicle occupant’s lower limb was developed in this study to improve understanding of injury mechanisms during traffic crashes. The reconstructed geometry of a male volunteer close to the anthropometry of a 50th percentile male was meshed using mostly hexahedral and quadrilateral elements to enhance the computational efficiency of the model. The material and structural properties were selected based on a synthesis of current knowledge of the constitutive models for each tissue. The models of the femur, tibia, and leg were validated against Post-Mortem Human Surrogate (PMHS) data in various loading conditions which generates the bone fractures observed in traffic accidents. The model was then used to investigate the tolerances of femur and tibia under axial compression and bending. It was shown that the bending moment induced by the axial force reduced the bone tolerance significantly more under posterior-anterior (PA) loading than under anterior-posterior (AP) loading. It is believed that the current lower limb models could be used in defining advanced injury criteria of the lower limb and in various applications as an alternative to physical testing, which may require complex setups and high cost.

[1]  J. Forman,et al.  Human surrogates for injury biomechanics research , 2011, Clinical anatomy.

[2]  J R Crandall,et al.  Dynamic bending tolerance and elastic-plastic material properties of the human femur. , 2004, Annual proceedings. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.

[3]  J H Keyak,et al.  Prediction of fracture location in the proximal femur using finite element models. , 2001, Medical engineering & physics.

[4]  Dipan Bose,et al.  The tolerance of the femoral shaft in combined axial compression and bending loading. , 2009, Stapp car crash journal.

[5]  Hyung Yun Choi,et al.  Human models for crash and impact simulation , 2004 .

[6]  Malcolm H. Ray,et al.  Development of a finite element model of the knee-thigh-hip of a 50th percentile male including ligaments and muscles , 2009 .

[7]  Cornelius Herstatt,et al.  Crash simulation evolution and its impact on R&D in the automotive applications , 2009 .

[8]  Y Takahashi,et al.  Development and validation of the finite element model for the human lower limb of pedestrians. , 2000, Stapp car crash journal.

[9]  Kaye Sullivan,et al.  Derivation and theoretical assessment of a set of biomechanics-based, AIS2+ risk equations for the knee-thigh-hip complex. , 2006, Stapp car crash journal.

[10]  Eiichi Tanaka,et al.  Ankle skeletal injury predictions using anisotropic inelastic constitutive model of cortical bone taking into account damage evolution. , 2005, Stapp car crash journal.

[11]  R Van Audekercke,et al.  The mechanical characteristics of cancellous bone at the upper femoral region. , 1983, Journal of biomechanics.

[12]  Claire C. Gordon,et al.  2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel: Methods and Summary Statistics , 2014 .

[13]  R. Ritchie,et al.  Mechanistic fracture criteria for the failure of human cortical bone , 2003, Nature materials.

[14]  John T. McConville,et al.  INVESTIGATION OF INERTIAL PROPERTIES OF THE HUMAN BODY , 1975 .

[15]  Richard M Aspden,et al.  Statistical methods in finite element analysis. , 2002, Journal of biomechanics.

[16]  Thierry Hoc,et al.  Fracture strength assessment and aging signs detection in human cortical bone using an X-FEM multiple scale approach , 2008 .

[17]  T. Keller,et al.  Young's modulus, bending strength, and tissue physical properties of human compact bone , 1990, Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

[18]  Jeffrey Richard Crandall,et al.  Crash reconstruction of pedestrian accidents using optimization techniques , 2009 .

[19]  Shashi Kuppa,et al.  An overview of knee-thigh-hip injuries in frontal crashes in the United States , 2003 .

[20]  Yong Jae Park,et al.  Numerical Investigations of Interactions between the Knee-Thigh-Hip Complex with Vehicle Interior Structures. , 2005, Stapp car crash journal.

[21]  Pierre-Jean Arnoux,et al.  Tonic finite element model of the lower limb. , 2006, Journal of biomechanical engineering.

[22]  Joel D Stitzel,et al.  Lateral and posterior dynamic bending of the mid-shaft femur: fracture risk curves for the adult population. , 2004, Stapp Car Crash Journal.

[23]  Rikard Fredriksson,et al.  Analysis of running child pedestrians impacted by a vehicle using rigid-body models and optimization techniques , 2010 .

[24]  Costin D. Untaroiu,et al.  A numerical investigation of mid-femoral injury tolerance in axial compression and bending loading , 2010 .

[25]  Guy S. Nusholtz,et al.  Static and dynamic bending strength of the leg , 1997 .

[26]  Rodney W Rudd,et al.  The Effect of Tibial Curvature and Fibular Loading on the Tibia Index , 2004, Traffic injury prevention.

[27]  Samir Fakhry,et al.  Site, type, and local mechanism of tibial shaft fracture in drivers in frontal automobile crashes. , 2008, Forensic science international.

[28]  Ani Ural,et al.  Finite Element Modeling of Microcrack Growth in Cortical Bone , 2011 .

[29]  Dipan Bose,et al.  Biomechanical injury response of leg subjected to combined axial compressive and bending loading. , 2008, Biomedical sciences instrumentation.

[30]  F. G. Evans,et al.  Biomechanical studies of the musculo-skeletal system , 1961 .

[31]  A I King,et al.  Lower Limb: Advanced FE Model and New Experimental Data. , 2001, Stapp car crash journal.

[32]  F. S. Gayzik,et al.  Development of a Full Body CAD Dataset for Computational Modeling: A Multi-modality Approach , 2011, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[33]  F. S. Gayzik,et al.  External Landmark, Body Surface, and Volume Data of a Mid-Sized Male in Seated and Standing Postures , 2012, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[34]  T D Brown,et al.  The apparent elastic modulus of the juxtaricular subchondral bone of the femoral head , 1984, Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

[35]  P J Schuster,et al.  Development and validation of a pedestrian lower limb non-linear 3-d finite element model. , 2000, Stapp car crash journal.

[36]  J. Melvin,et al.  Accidental Injury: Biomechanics and Prevention , 1993 .

[37]  Andrew Morris,et al.  MECHANISMS OF LOWER EXTREMITY INJURIES TO FRONT SEAT CAR OCCUPANTS: AN IN DEPTH ACCIDENT ANALYSIS , 1997 .

[38]  A Ratcliffe,et al.  Differences in patellofemoral joint cartilage material properties and their significance to the etiology of cartilage surface fibrillation. , 1997, Osteoarthritis and cartilage.

[39]  King H. Yang,et al.  Below Knee Impact Responses using Cadaveric Specimens. , 2004, Stapp car crash journal.

[40]  Richard G. Snyder,et al.  Seated posture of vehicle occupants , 1983 .

[41]  W C Hayes,et al.  Mechanical properties of metaphyseal bone in the proximal femur. , 1991, Journal of biomechanics.

[42]  Costin D. Untaroiu,et al.  Performance-Based Classification of Occupant Posture to Reduce the Risk of Injury in a Collision , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

[43]  P C Dischinger,et al.  Consequences and costs of lower extremity injuries. , 2004, Annual proceedings. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.

[44]  M. Freeman.  Strength of Biological Materials , 1971 .

[45]  H. Skinner,et al.  Prediction of femoral fracture load using automated finite element modeling. , 1997, Journal of biomechanics.

[46]  Kurosh Darvish,et al.  A finite element model of the lower limb for simulating pedestrian impacts. , 2005, Stapp car crash journal.

[47]  Rolf H. Eppinger,et al.  Human cadaver and Hybrid III responses to axial impacts of the femur , 1990 .

[48]  Junji Hasegawa,et al.  DEVELOPMENT OF A FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF THE TOTAL HUMAN MODEL FOR SAFETY (THUMS) AND APPLICATION TO CAR-PEDESTRIAN IMPACTS , 2001 .

[49]  C. Luo,et al.  Reference axes for reconstruction of the knee. , 2004, The Knee.

[50]  Jeffrey Richard Crandall,et al.  A study of the pedestrian impact kinematics using finite element dummy models: the corridors and dimensional analysis scaling of upper-body trajectories , 2008 .

[51]  Costin D. Untaroiu,et al.  A Finite Element Model of the Foot and Ankle for Automotive Impact Applications , 2012, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[52]  Costin D. Untaroiu,et al.  Identification of occupant posture using a Bayesian classification methodology to reduce the risk of injury in a collision , 2011 .

[53]  R. P. Mccall.  Physics of the human body , 2010 .

[54]  Albert I. King,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL STUDY OF KNEE FRACTURE MECHANISMS IN A FRONTAL KNEE IMPACT , 1996 .

[55]  A. I. King,et al.  Regional differences in some physical properties of human spongy bone , 1961 .

[56]  Sarah J Manoogian,et al.  Tensile material properties of human tibia cortical bone effects of orientation and loading rate. , 2008, Biomedical sciences instrumentation.

[57]  Rolf H. Eppinger,et al.  LOWER EXTREMITY INJURIES AND ASSOCIATED INJURY CRITERIA , 2001 .