Search Results

The objective of this research was to further elucidate the biomechanical etiology of pelvis fracture under simulated automotive side impact conditions. The finite element (FE) method was used to evaluate pelvis fracture tolerance through a series of parametric tests to determine the effect of both force magnitude and duration of application. The results of FE analyses were compared to previous experimental cadaveric test data under the same load conditions to seek validation of the model. The hemi-pelvis FE model used in this study was a modified version of an earlier model, consisting of 2199 elements and 3161 nodes. Material behavior was defined per element using 524 Hookean-based material property values. Parametric dynamic analyses of the model were performed using the first 150 ms of the force-time history. Dynamic loading was applied as a linear ramp through the angle of the greater trochanter to the acetabulum, simulating a femur position in 90° flexion.