Technical Paper
Fidelity of Biodynamic Simulation Models for Low Speed Collinear Rear Crash Conditions
2012-04-16
2012-01-0570
Dynamic simulation is routinely used to analyze the occupant response to motor vehicle impact. That said, while commercially-available models have been subjected to numerous high-severity level validation studies, little attention has been given to lower severity crashes. While high severity crashes typically result in more severe injury, the vast numbers of lower severity “fender bender” type crashes and the ensuing high medical costs warrant study related to biomechanics and vehicle design. The scope of this study is directed at addressing the validity of these models for analyzing occupant response to collinear rear impact involving delta-V less than 5 mph. As part of this study, a series of five vehicle-to-vehicle collisions with instrumented volunteer occupants were performed with closing speeds of 1.1, 1.9, 2.9, 4.0 and 5.1 mph. These impacts produced delta-V, for the target vehicle, of 0.6, 1.8, 2.5, 3.1 and 3.2 mph, respectively.