Characterization of far-side occupant chest injuries in oblique side impact considering uncertainty

Abstract

Purpose Oblique side impact is a common form of impact in life, and the far-side occupant’s chest is highly susceptible to injury in the impact process. This study analyzed the effects of different factors on the chest response of far-side occupants in oblique side impacts. Methods In this study, a simplified sled model was developed. After that, five factors, namely, impact velocity, impact angle, seat friction coefficient, seatbelt friction coefficient, and seatbelt force-limiting were considered as uncertain variables and randomly sampled. Sixteen sets of impact simulations with different parameters were performed using the sampled results to evaluate the farside occupant chest response. Results Results showed that the impact velocity was positively correlated with the chest deflection and chest acceleration, with correlation coefficients 0.77 and 0.92, respectively, and the impact angle was negatively correlated with the chest deflection and chest acceleration, with correlation coefficients -0.83 and -0.54, respectively. The seatbelt friction coefficient and force limiting value were positively and negatively correlated with the occupant’s chest response, respectively. Conclusions The results suggested that multiple variables collectively influenced occupant injury, and random combinations of different variables may play a critical role in impact outcomes. This study provides a reference for the study of occupant injury in far-side impacts.