LOWER EXTREMITY FINITE ELEMENT MODEL FOR CRASH SIMULATION

A lower extremity model has been developed to study occupant injury mechanisms of the major bones and ligamentous soft tissues resulting from vehicle collisions. The model is based on anatomically correct digitized bone surfaces of the pelvis, femur, patella and the tibia. Many muscles, tendons and ligaments were incrementally added to the basic bone model. Two types of occupant loading that occur in a crash environment were simulated using a non-linear large deformation finite element code. The modeling approach assumed that the leg was passive during its response to the excitation, that is, no active muscular contraction and therefore no active change in limb stiffness. The approach recognized that the most important contributions of the muscles to the lower extremity response are their ability to define and modify the impedance of the limb. As currently defined, the model meets the objective for which it was created.

• Corporate Authors:

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  7000 East Avenue
  Livermore, CA  United States  94550
• Authors:
  • Schauer, D A
  • Perfect, S A
• Conference:
  • 1996 international mechanical engineering congress and exhibition (CONF-961105-1)
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
  • Date: 1996-11-17 to 1996-11-22
• Publication Date: 1996-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 4p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash injury research; Crash victim simulation; Finite element method; Lower extremities; Simulation
• Old TRIS Terms: Lower extremity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00736488
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UCRL-JC-123414
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 14 1997 12:00AM