The seat-occupant coupling system (SoCS) is nonlinear, and its vibration
characteristics directly affect the dynamic comfort of the human body. To
simulate the vibration characteristics of the SoCS accurately and provide a
reference for the dynamic comfort, the finite element human body model and SoCS
model are established in this paper. First, tests for the static stiffness of
the polyurethane foam and the dynamic apparent mass (APMS) of a human body are
performed to expose the nonlinearity of the seat and the human body,
respectively. Then, vibration transmissibility test is carried out to evaluate
the vibration characteristics of the SoCS. Third, the simulation models
(including the human body model and the SoCS model) are founded and calibrated
based on the above test data. Finally, the consistency of simulation and
experimental results is evaluated and quantified by introducing the goodness of
fit. The results indicate that (1) The human body model calibrated by seated
weight, modal properties, and APMS has high precision, which can reflect the
dynamic characteristics of the subject accurately. (2) The proposed SoCS model
can better predict the vibration characteristics of subjects under both vertical
excitation and road profile excitation, which has practical significance for the
future development of vibration comfort.