Computer Simulation of Impact Response of the Human Body in Car-Pedestrian Accidents

A new mathematical multibody-system model of the whole human body was developed to simulate the pedestrian in road accidents with cars. The aim with the model was to achieve better correlation with results from impact tests with cadaver specimens. The pedestrian model was created to be used with the Crash Victim Simulation (CVS) computer program. The model consists of fifteen segments connected by fourteen joints. The geometry and the characteristics of the body segments, and the mechanical properties of the joints are based on available anthropometrical and biomechanical data.

In order to verify the pedestrian model with pervious cadaver experiments, the computer simulations were carried out in such a way that the set-up of simulations corresponded to those in the cadaver tests. The model response to following parameters was studied in the simulations: impact speed, bumper height and bumper compliance. The responses from the model in various impact configurations, such as overall pedestrian behavior, head resultant velocity, acceleration of the segments and so on, were validated.

The paper describes the model and presents results that validate the model in terms of experiments with cadaver specimens. The output parameters calculated from computer simulations with the new pedestrian model correspond well to observations in cadaver studies and indicate its ability to analyse pedestrian kinematics in car-pedestrian accidents.