Biomechanical response and injury effects on occupant's thorax–abdomen under seat belt loading. (11th December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ma, Zhengwei; Chen, Jiqing; Lan, Fengchong
• Is Part Of: International journal of vehicle safety. Volume 8:Number 1(2015)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2014-12-11
• Subjects: seat belts -- thoracic injuries -- abdominal injuries -- biomechanical response -- effect analysis -- finite element method -- FEM -- modelling -- injury effects -- thorax -- abdomen -- seat belt loading -- vehicle safety -- adult occupants -- vehicle occupants -- simulation -- force response -- deflection response -- injury distribution -- seat belt design -- belt fabric tape stiffness -- pre–tension force -- upper slipping position; Automobiles -- Design and construction -- Periodicals; Automobiles -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; 629.222028905
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1479-3105

Abstract

In this study, a Finite Element (FE) model of adult occupant was developed to investigate the thoracic and abdominal injuries caused by seat belt wearing. A model geometry was created from the CT data of a volunteer representing the 50th percentile Chinese male. The anatomical structures and physical characteristics were modelled the same as those in the real human body. Especially the thorax and abdomen model included details of the ribcage, thoracic and lumbar spine, pelvis, internal organs, skin, muscles, ligaments, main arteries and veins, and other soft tissues. Through simulations against Post–Mortem Human Subjects (PMHS) tests of seat belt loading, good agreements were achieved between them in terms of the force and deflection responses and injury distributions. Moreover, the effective analyses of seat belt design parameters indicated that the belt fabric tape stiffness, pre–tension force and upper slipping position played an important role on the thoracic and abdominal injuries.