Finite Element Modeling of Rollover Crash Tests with Hybrid III Dummies

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the ability to reproduce the impact environment occurring in rollover crash tests. There are over 26,000 fatalities and serious injuries annually occurring in rollover accidents in the United States [1]. Many of these are to restrained occupants and their head and spinal injuries have been associated with contact with the roof structure. Finite element models of the Hybrid III dummy and vehicles were used to model the rollover crash tests conducted for Ford. The rollover crash tests involved a production vehicle in a baseline form and one with a roll cage added to it. The impact conditions were incorporated and the results compared with the published test results. The results show that finite element modeling can reproduce the results from rollover crash tests.