New approaches in modeling belt-flesh-pelvis interaction using obese GHBMC models

Obesity is associated with higher fatality risk and altered distribution of occupant injuries in automotive collisions partially because of the increased depth of abdominal soft tissue, which results in limited or delayed engagement of the lap belt with the pelvis and increases the risk of pelvis submarining under the lap belt exposing occupant abdomen to belt loading. Previous modeling studies have shown that pelvis submarining could not be replicated using existing human body models. The goal of this study is to perform model modifications and investigate whether they could lead to model submarining. By detaching the connections between the pelvis and surrounding flesh, submarining like belt kinematics were observed. By remeshing the flesh parts of the model, similar belt kinematics was observed but the pelvic wings were fractured. Finally, large shear deformation on the flesh together with submarining like kinematics were observed in the model with its flesh modeled using the meshless Smooth Particle Galerkin Method SPG method. The results of this study showed that SPG method has potential to simulate large deformations in soft tissue which may be necessary to improve the biofidelity of belt/pelvis interaction.