Validation of Small Female Foot and Ankle Finite Element Model under Shod Automotive Loading Environment
2022-01-1006
03/29/2022
- Content
- The foot and ankle region is one of the most frequently-injured body regions to occupants involved in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Recent analysis of NASS-CDS data has shown that females are more prone to ankle injuries than male occupants, and biomechanical testing has demonstrated that ankle injury patterns are influenced by the presence of shoes. In this study, we aim to enhance the GHBMC-owned 5th percentile female (F05) detailed occupant finite element model by improving the biofidelity and injury prediction capabilities of the ankle using a comprehensive validation data generated for small female ankle. Relative to the baseline model we previously developed, the present work refined the geometry of the ankle bones and ligaments to include more detail, updated material properties to better represent in situ response, and defined failure thresholds of the ankle anatomical components. The isolated components were individually validated and then integrated into the ankle to carry out simulation studies at the body region level. To investigate the shoe-foot interaction, a shoe model was then developed and incorporated into the F05 model. The updated model with shoes was evaluated against several experimental shod ankle loading cases relevant to lower extremity loading during an MVC. The simulation results demonstrated that the updated F05 ankle model showed good biofidelity in both the non-shod and shod cases. The ankle model developed in the present study provides an improved means to predict the ankle response of small female occupant, identify ankle injury under various loading scenarios, and evaluate the design of injury countermeasures.
- Citation
- Mukherjee, S., Zeng, W., Caudillo, A., Roberts, C. et al., "Validation of Small Female Foot and Ankle Finite Element Model under Shod Automotive Loading Environment," SAE Technical Paper 2022-01-1006, 2022, .