Samenvatting
Current mathematical simulation of occupant impact and interactions with the vehicle interior, in the event of crash, is based on lumped mass-spring formulations. These models lack the fidelity to simulate structural deformations and to capture the detailed contact and interactions between the occupant and the impact targets. As a first step in improving the technology, a detailed three-dimensional finite element (FE) model has been developed which simulated thoracic impact on the steering wheel.