Title: Biomechanical response and injury effects on occupant's thorax-abdomen under seat belt loading

Authors: Zhengwei Ma; Jiqing Chen; Fengchong Lan

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, Guangdong, China ' School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, Guangdong, China ' School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, Guangdong, China

Abstract: In this study, a Finite Element (FE) model of adult occupant was developed to investigate the thoracic and abdominal injuries caused by seat belt wearing. A model geometry was created from the CT data of a volunteer representing the 50th percentile Chinese male. The anatomical structures and physical characteristics were modelled the same as those in the real human body. Especially the thorax and abdomen model included details of the ribcage, thoracic and lumbar spine, pelvis, internal organs, skin, muscles, ligaments, main arteries and veins, and other soft tissues. Through simulations against Post-Mortem Human Subjects (PMHS) tests of seat belt loading, good agreements were achieved between them in terms of the force and deflection responses and injury distributions. Moreover, the effective analyses of seat belt design parameters indicated that the belt fabric tape stiffness, pre-tension force and upper slipping position played an important role on the thoracic and abdominal injuries.

Keywords: seat belts; thoracic injuries; abdominal injuries; biomechanical response; effect analysis; finite element method; FEM; modelling; injury effects; thorax; abdomen; seat belt loading; vehicle safety; adult occupants; vehicle occupants; simulation; force response; deflection response; injury distribution; seat belt design; belt fabric tape stiffness; pre-tension force; upper slipping position.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVS.2015.066270

International Journal of Vehicle Safety, 2015 Vol.8 No.1, pp.1 - 21

Received: 16 Apr 2014
Accepted: 23 Jun 2014
Published online: 10 Dec 2014 *

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