Development of MADYMO Models of Passenger Vehicles for Simulating Side Impact Crashes

Under the Partnership for Next Generation Vehicles (PNGV) program instituted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a MADYMO articulated full vehicle model of the 1992 Ford Taurus for side impact has been developed and validated against test data. MADYMO (Mathematical Dynamic Model) is a computer package that is used to model rigid multibody kinematics and dynamics and finds application in simulating various crash situations and to assess occupant injuries. Input for the MADYMO model consisting of rigid body joint stiffnesses was obtained from an existing Finite Element (FE) model. Model validation was done by comparing the vehicle and dummy numbers with a series of side impact tests conducted by the Ford Motor Company. Model results correlated very well with both test and FE data. This model demonstrates the utility of rigid body based full car models for crashworthiness analysis. Such models result in significant saving in computational time and resources.