Numerical Analysis of Vehicle Occupant Responses during Rear Impact Using a Human Body Model

Abstract:

Understanding vehicle occupant responses during real-world rear collision accidents is very important in the development of appropriate safety technologies for neck injury lessening. In this study, numerical analysis of vehicle occupant responses during rear impact were conducted by using a human multi-body model, a seat finite element model and crash accelerations obtained from real-world accidents. The human multi-body model was developed based on the body characteristics of a typical Japanese male, including the outer body geometry, inertial properties of body segments and passive joint characteristics. The seat finite element model was extracted from a detailed car finite element model. A small modification was done to the seat model to deal with the rear impact simulations. The crash accelerations were obtained from the drive recorder database of rear collision accidents occurred in Japan. Several crash accelerations were selected and used as input conditions during the rear impact simulations. Kinematic responses of the occupants during the accidents can be reasonably predicted by the simulations. Furthermore, different level of accelerations leads to different kinematics responses that may cause variation in injury occurrence and injury severity.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 566)
• Pages: 480-485
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.566.480
• Online since: June 2014
• Authors: Jonas A. Pramudita*, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Yuji Tanabe
• Keywords: Injury Biomechanics, Multi-Body Model, Numerical Analysis, Rear Collision Accident

References

[1] Japan National Police Agency Transport Bureau: Traffic accident situation during year 2012, http: /www. e-stat. go. jp/SG1/estat/List. do?lid=000001086731 (in Japanese).

[2] Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA): Rear collision accident became common, ITARDA Information Vol. 66 (2007) pp.3-4 (in Japanese).

[3] General Insurance Association of Japan: Actual conditions of traffic accident seen from the automobile insurance data, http: /www. sonpo. or. jp/archive/report/traffic/0032. html (in Japanese).

[4] T. Ikari, K. Kaito, T. Nakajima, K. Yamazaki and K. Ono: Japan new car assessment program for minor neck injury protection in rear-end collisions, Proc. of 21st ESV Conference (2009), No. 09-0364.

[5] S.C. Choi, H.I. Bae, S.J. Han and S.Y. Kim: Development of computer simulation method for seat optimization to reduce neck injury in a low speed rear impact, Proc. of 20th ESV Conference (2007), No. 07-0199.

[6] M. Petru and J. Petrik: Development and Optimization of the headrests car seat, Bulletin of Applied Mechanics Vol. 6 (2010), pp.34-40.

[7] J.A. Pramudita, S. Kikuchi and Y. Tanabe: Development of a full-body human model for rear impact analysis, Proc. of ICRASH 2012 Conference (2012), No. 2012-080.

[8] FHWA/NHTSA National Crash Analysis Center: Finite element model of Ford Taurus 2001, http: /www. ncac. gwu. edu/vml/models. html.

[9] Y. Morinaka, Y. Michitsuji, P. Raksincharoensak and M. Nagai: Analysis of collision incident using drive recorder, SAE Technical Paper (2007), No. 2007-01-3679.

DOI: 10.4271/2007-01-3679

[10] D. Munoz, A. Mansilla, F. Lopez-Valdes and R. Martin: A study of current neck injury criteria used for whiplash analysis: Proposal of a new criterion involving upper and lower neck load cells, Proc. of 19th ESV Conference (2005), No. 05-0313.

[11] J.A. Pramudita, K. Ono, S. Ejima, K. Kaneoka, I. Shiina and S. Ujihashi: Head/neck/torso behavior and cervical vertebral motion of human volunteers during low speed rear impact: Mini-sled tests with mass production car seat, Proc. of 2007 IRCOBI Conference (2007).

DOI: 10.4271/973340