The VIVA OpenHBM Finite Element 50th Percentile Female Occupant Model: Whole Body Model Development and Kinematic Validation

Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of Finite Element Human Body Models, and they have been introduced in the development of automotive safety systems. The average female has not been covered by previous modelling projects, although it has been shown that females are exposed to a higher risk of injury than males in comparable automotive accidents. This study aims to describe the development of a 50th percentile female Open Source Human Body Model, to validate its kinematics, and compare the effect of having a detailed or simplified neck model in the Model. The Human Body Model was developed from surface data of a 50th percentile female, using rigid bones,kinematic joints, and deformable soft tissue for the whole body model, together with an existing detailed neck model and a new simplified neck model. The kinematic response was compared with female and scaled male Post Mortem Human Subject data using objective rating in frontal, roll‐over, and rear‐impact simulations. The model correlation was found to be 0.91, 0.67, and 0.63 in the principal direction of each load case. Using a simplified neck model only marginally influenced the correlation in whole body simulations, while in isolated head neck simulations the head kinematics were affected.