Technical Paper
Comparison of the Responses of the Thorax and Pelvis of the GHBMC M50-O Using Two Different Foam Materials in a High-Speed Rear Facing Frontal Impact Scenario
2024-04-09
2024-01-2647
Finite element (FE) seat models are typically validated using the FE models of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) due to geometric and material similarity with their physical counterparts. One of the key aspects of seat validation is to match the occupant loading of the seatback via optimizing the foam material property. The validated seats are then used for evaluating the biofidelity of FE human body models (HBMs). This study compared the responses of the thorax and pelvis of the GHBMC M50-O using two different foam materials – OPT and REF – in a high-speed rear facing frontal impact scenario. The OPT foam was optimized using a Hybrid III ATD FE model, while the REF foam was a reference foam material from literature with a late densification phase. The simulations were performed using the LS-DYNA software. The T-spine accelerations increased with the use of REF as compared to OPT, trending towards the corresponding PMHS responses.