Technical Paper
Hybrid III Thoracic Impact on Self-Aligning Steering Wheel by Finite Element Analysis and Mini-Sled Experiment
1991-10-01
912894
Current mathematical simulation of occupant impact and interactions with the vehicle interior, in the event of crash, is based on lumped mass-spring formulations. These models lack the fidelity to simulate structural deformations and to capture the detailed contact and interactions between the occupant and the impact targets. As a first step in improving the technology, we have developed a detailed three-dimensional finite element (FE) model which simulated thoracic impact on the steering wheel. The model consisted of Hybrid III thorax, lumbar spine and self-aligning steering wheel. The model was developed using DYNA3D and represented the dynamic large deformation response of the system by a combination of solid, beam and shell elements. Both elastic and viscoelastic material properties of various system components were experimentally identified and implemented in the model.