MADYMO (MAthematical DYnamical MOdel) is developed for simulating the dynamics of crash victims. A crash victim is modelled as a system of rigid bodies interconnected by kinematic joints. Kinematically closed loops are not allowed, but can be approximated by introducing springs in cut joints. The motion of a system of bodies is expressed in terms of parameters describing the relative motion in joints, the joint coordinates. An order N algorithm is used to generate the second time derivatives of the joint coordinates in explicit form. A fixed step fourth order Runge Kutta method and a variable step fifth order Runge Kutta Merson method are available for integrating the equations of motion. In order to facilitate modelling of crash victim simulations, special modules are available, such as contacts, seat belts and airbags. Modules for modelling vehicle dynamics are under development.
Abstract