Abstract
This study uses the small female human body model developed by the international Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC). Physical driver airbag OOP tests with the Hybrid III 5th percentile female dummy (HIII 5F) were correlated to the corresponding HIII 5F CAE simulations representing driver tested in Positions 1 and 2 as defined by FMVSS 208, section 26. The HIII 5F CAE model was then replaced with the GHBMC 5th percentile female detailed occupant human body model (GHBMC F05-O). The simulations with the HIII 5F CAE and the GHBMC F05-O were compared in terms of driver airbag deployment kinematics and occupant injury response. To study the sternum deflection and its deflection rate, the HIII 5F CAE model was fitted with accelerometers on the sternum and spine, allowing better comparison with the GHBMC F05-O response. The locations of the HIII 5F upper sternum and the GHBMC F05-O lower sternum are relatively close, and their peak chest deflections and chest deflection rates are comparable at these locations. For the Position 2, however, the HIII 5F has the highest chest deflection rate at the upper sternum while the human body model has the highest rate at the lower sternum. The head and neck responses of the HIII 5F and the GHBMC F05-O are also compared. Some of the differences in response may be attributed to the anatomies of their thoracic structures. The GHBMC F05-O has a shoulder girdle and upper rib structure, affecting relative stiffness of the upper to lower thorax. The sternum location compared to the rest of the body is lower on the HIII 5F versus the GHBMC F05-O. While the GHBMC F05-O has been validated with a number of tests that do not include OOP airbag deployments, it is still a new tool and its biofidelity in the OOP environment is based on the premise of those validations. This study is limited to a single airbag and steering wheel design.