Pedestrian Lower Limb Injury Criteria Evaluation: A Finite Element Approach

Abstract

The lower leg model used in this study is an advanced FE model of the lower limb, validated under various situations. Its accurate anatomical description allows a wide range of applications. According to the validity domain of the model, it offered a valuable tool for the numerical evaluation of potential injuries and the definition of injury risk criterion for knee joint.

Injury criteria of knee joint regarding car–pedestrian impact environments

“…The sensitivity analysis focused on a biofidelic finite element model of the lower limb -'Lower Limb Model for Safety' (LLMS), which had been developed and validated against series of experimental tests ranging from soft tissue tensile tests to whole limb impacts (Arnoux et al 2005;Bose et al 2007). The pedestrian model was the combination of the 50% Hybrid-III dummy model and LLMS model at the hip joint in the lateral impact direction with the vehicle to consider the whole human body inertial effects during an impact sequence.…”

Injury criteria implementation and evaluation in FE models applications to lower limb segments

“…In the case of the lower limb and pelvis segments [2,12,24,37], these models focus on an accurate description of anatomical components that are involved in joint mechanics or are injured during trauma situations. For the modelling task, material properties were obtained from individual tissue testing and try to integrate damage and failure of deformable bone and soft tissue structures.…”

“…Hence, they are used to predict injury mechanisms and thus help to define injury tolerances [2,12,31,39]. According to injuries of interest, the stress levels, forces, strain measurement, pressure levels and joint kinematics were investigated.…”

Real accidents involving vulnerable road users: in-depth investigation, numerical simulation and experimental reconstitution with PMHS

“…Several methods exist to perform this work. Main ones are based on multibody theory [10] or on finite element models [11]. Because FE approach are rather time consuming and difficult to adapt to any accident cases, a multibody approach has been chosen.…”

“…To complete this information, numerical methods are used to give new information on the car speed for instance. Some authors model the movement of pedestrians from simplified mechanical equations [8,9] whereas others use more complex approaches considering the human body as rigid multibody model [10] or a finite element model [11]. This approach which links in-depth investigation and numerical simulation provide better knowledge on the real kinematic of the vulnerable user but it appears always some gaps on the kinematic validation [12].…”