Finite element modelling of a Hybrid III dummy and material identification for validation

Abstract

Anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) are used to predict the human injury risk in a crash test. The Hybrid III crash test dummy is a standard ATD used for measuring the occupant safety in a frontal impact test. Since a real crash test using a vehicle is expensive, computer simulation using the finite element method (FEM) is widely used. Therefore, a detailed and robust finite element (FE) dummy model is required to acquire more precise occupant injury data and more accurate behaviour of a dummy during the crash. This research proposes the process of modelling and validation of an FE model of a Hybrid III crash test dummy, and a high-fidelity FE model of the Hybrid III dummy is developed on the basis of the proposed process. The proposed process consists of two phases. First, the FE model is constructed on the basis of the reverse engineering technique. Second, the material identification process is performed for validation of the constructed FE model of the Hybrid III crash test dummy. A certification test for each part of the physical dummy model and also computer simulation of the constructed FE model are performed. The material identification process is carried out by an optimization process to minimize the difference between the physical test results and the computer simulation results. The utilized optimization algorithm is the successive response surface method (SRSM).