Cross-sectional neck response of a total human body FE model during simulated frontal and side automobile impacts

Abstract

Human body finite element (FE) models are beginning to play a more prevalent role in the advancement of automotive safety. A methodology has been developed to evaluate neck response at multiple levels in a human body FE model during simulated automotive impacts. Three different impact scenarios were simulated: a frontal impact of a belted driver with airbag deployment, a frontal impact of a belted passenger without airbag deployment and an unbelted side impact sled test. Cross sections were created at each vertebral level of the cervical spine to calculate the force and moment contributions of different anatomical components of the neck. Adjacent level axial force ratios varied between 0.74 and 1.11 and adjacent level bending moment ratios between 0.55 and 1.15. The present technique is ideal for comparing neck forces and moments to existing injury threshold values, calculating injury criteria and for better understanding the biomechanical mechanisms of neck injury and load sharing during sub-injurious and injurious loading.

Comparison of Neck Injury Criteria Values Across Human Body Models of Varying Complexity

“…127). Cross sections were created using LS-DYNA R7.1.2 (LSTC, Livermore, CA, United States) at the C2 level based on previously published methods (White et al, 2015) with coordinate systems in accordance with SAE J211 convention (Society of Automotive Engineers, 2007). All section, beam elements, and nodes required for Nij calculation were sampled at 10,000 Hz.…”

Development and Full Body Validation of a 5th Percentile Female Finite Element Model

“…Other constraint methods typically require a rigid body. A cross-section plane at the occipital condyles (OCs) was used to obtain neck forces and moments (White et al 2013). To calculate chest deflections, nodal coordinates were taken on a node of the sternum and a node of the T8 spinous process.…”

Head and Neck Response of a Finite Element Anthropomorphic Test Device and Human Body Model During a Simulated Rotary-Wing Aircraft Impact

“…Unlike in ATDs, there are no load cells to directly measure neck forces and moments in the GHBMC model since it is based off of the human anatomy. To capture this neck loading, cross sections were defined at each cervical level of the neck using a methodology previously developed by White et al [12]. Effectively, each of these seven cross sections represents a virtual load cell in the GHBMC model neck.…”

“…The forces and moments at each cervical level of the neck were captured using a novel technique previously described by White et al [12]. The seat geometry, belt configura tion, and sled pulse were based on one of the experimental sled tests conducted by Paskoff and Sieveka [10,11].…”