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Computational Engineering

Complementary research informs the big picture

Mathematical models and computer simulations have proven to be effective in injury prevention and research, since using human subjects raises social and ethical concerns. Computational engineering research at the Center focuses on understanding complex physical and biological systems and their behaviors.

Using mathematical analysis, modeling and simulations based on data collected by the field investigation and the injury biomechanics research teams, the computational engineers’ research approach complements traditional experimental and theoretical methods and is based on data collected by the Center’s other research teams.

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Methodology

The Center’s computational methods complement the surveillance, field investigation findings and experimental data collected by the other engineering teams to predict dynamics, kinematics and injury mechanisms during a crash scenario. A number of “what-if” situations can also be analyzed using this methodology. These iterations aid researchers in visualizing and understanding the mechanisms of occupant injuries and their interactions with the restraint systems. Findings may then be used for the design of new products to mitigate the risk of injury.

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Resources used by the Center

The Computational Engineering group relies on several different softwares on different computational platforms to perform analyses. Primary softwares used by the group are:

• MADYMO (MAthematical DYnamic MOdel- TNO, The Netherlands),

  MADYMO is used to examine the kinematics and dynamics of occupants using both multi-body and finite element methods. Some of the highlights of MADYMO include a comprehensive set of validated crash dummy models, biomechanical human body models, advanced restraint systems, (belts, airbags, gas flow dynamics) and airbag folding.

• HVE (Human Vehicle Environment - Engineering Dynamics Corp., Beaverton, OR)

  HVE is an integrated environment for setting up and executing simulation models to study a variety of design and safety issues related to passenger and commercial motor vehicles, such as dynamic handling behaviors, effects of road conditions, systems failures or driver reactions, and real-world crashes including under-rides and rollovers, or involving occupants or pedestrians.

• LS-DYNA (Livermore Software Technology Corp., Livermore, CA).

  LS-DYNA is a general-purpose transient dynamic finite element program capable of simulating complex real world problems.

• EASI-CRASH-MAD (ESI Group, Bloomfield Hills, MI)

  Pre- and post-processing of data.

 

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Computational Engineering Projects

• NHTSA Task Order Three: Linking Abdominal Impulse Ratio (AIR) to Pediatric Abdominal Injury

  To address the large number of pediatric abdominal injuries ,called “seat belt syndrome”, associated with premature graduation from child restraints to seat belts, NHTSA is considering the inclusion abdominal criterion into regulations related to child anthropomorphic dummies (ATD) and child restraint safety. The purpose of this task order is to assess the validity of AIR and other potential ATD-based criteria to predict pediatric abdominal injury in crash simulations demonstrating abdominal loading by the restraint system and to define an injury threshold for one or more of these criteria that can be used in the NHTSA testing to assess restraint performance with respect to abdominal protection.