Research on the Simulation of Human-Seat Interface Pressure with Consideration of the Effect of Seat Cover

The human body models consisting of bone, soft tissue, and skin were created based on the latest anthropometry data. The mechanical modeling of vehicle seat cover was studied, as well as the simulation of human-seat interface pressure. As a case study, the seat finite element (FE) model was established using the real-vehicle seat geometric data considering the condition with and without seat cover. The seat and body were assembled to conduct the simulation of human-seat interface pressure. By comparing the simulative result with those of the test, the accuracy of the simulation and the important role of cover material in body pressure simulation were validated. The result also showed that the cover material could not be ignored in the simulation of human-seat interface pressure. The method of interface pressure simulation presented in this article is a systematic and useful way of predicting the human-seat interface pressure, which can be further used for functional verification and pre-evaluation of the comfort characteristics of the vehicle seat, and it is of great value for application.