A Human-Body 3D Mathematical Model for Simulation of Car-Pedestrian Impacts

A 3D mathematical model of the human body was developed to simulate responses of pedestrians in car impacts. The model consists of fifteen body segments connected by fourteen joints, including two human-like knee joints and two breakable-leg segments. The anthro pometrical data for the model were generated by the GEBOD program, and characteristics of the body segments and the joints were defined based on available biomechanical data. The validity of the model was evaluated against full-scale impact tests with pedestrian substitutes and an experimental car in terms of the kinematics of the pedestrian substitute, bumper impact forces, accelerations of the body segments, and failure description from anatomical investigations of the pedestrian substitutes. The sensitivity of the model to input variables was studied at impact speeds of 15 and 40 km/h with the following car-front parameters: bumper height, bumper stiffness, bumper lead distance, height of hood edge, and hood-edge stiffness. The validated model demonstrated its capability in simulations of car-pedestrian impacts for the assessment of responses of pedestrians, prediction of risks of pedestrian injuries and for the development of safety countermeasures.

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