Optimizing Finite Element Material Models in a Crash Test Dummy

Finite element representations of crash test dummies are widely used in the simulation of vehicle safety systems. The biofidelity of such models is strongly dependent on the accurate representation of the nonlinear behavior of the constituent rubber, plastic, and foam materials. Advanced material models are often needed to capture the dynamic response of the various parts of the dummy. The process of calibrating a finite element material model is resource-intensive, as it involves optimizing model parameters to achieve good correlation with test data under different loading conditions and rates.