A multibody/finite element analysis approach for modeling of crash dynamic responses

Computer models of the human body are robust tools for gaining insight into the gross motion of ground vehicle or aircraft occupants and evaluating the loads and deformations of their critical parts. The knowledge of occupant responses will help in the determination of the type and probable causes of injuries that may be sustained during a crash. An important aspect in crash analysis is how the large motion of the relatively rigid segments of an occupant, such as the limbs, and the small deformations of flexible segments, such as the spine column, are interrelated. To this end a general methodology for kineto-static analysis of multibody systems with flexible structures undergoing large motion and structural deformations is developed Rigid multibody dynamics is used to predict the gross motions and displacements at the boundaries between the relatively bulky (rigid) bodies and relatively flexible ones. A mired boundary-condition finite-element analysis is formulated and solved at every numerical integration rime to determine the corresponding reaction forces and moments at the boundaries and also the structural deformations. Based on this methodology, a multibody model of the occupant with a nonlinear finite element model of the lumbar spine is developed for a Hybrid Il anthropomorphic crash test dummy. The analytical results obtained are compared with the experimental results from the impact sled tests. Comparison of the results has shown better correlation between the analyses and the experiments compared with earlier studies.