A Comparative Evaluation of Pedestrian Kinematics and Injury Prediction for Adults and Children upon Impact with a Passenger Car 2004-01-1606

Studies show that the pedestrian population at high risk of injury consists of both young children and adults. The goal of this study is to gain understanding in the mechanisms that lead to injuries for children and adults.

Multi-body pedestrian human models of two specific anthropometries, a 6year-old child and a 50^th percentile adult male, are applied. A vehicle model is developed that consists of a detailed rigid finite element mesh, validated stiffness regions, stiff structures underlying the hood and a suspension model. Simulations are performed in a test matrix where anthropometry, impact speed and impact location are variables.

Bumper impact occurs with the tibia of the 50^th percentile adult male and with the thigh of the 6-year-old child. The head of a 50^th percentile male impacts the lower windshield, while the 6-year-old child's head impacts the front part of the hood. Due to the complex geometry of vehicle and human body the changing kinematics results in different injury mechanisms and injury values between adult and child. At 40 km/h a high probability of injuries exists for head, neck, torso, tibia and ankle for both anthropometries, while the adult's knees and the child's thigh area are at increased risk. Furthermore, it is shown that a change in impact speed does not alter the pedestrian kinematics, but the effect on injury values is substantial. The presented method for simulating pedestrian to car impact shows that kinematics and injury prediction are sensitive to changes in anthropometry.