INVESTIGATION ON THE KNEE STIFFNESS UNDER THE LATERAL IMPACT FOR THE DESIGN OF PEDESTRIAN LEGFORM IMPACTOR

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to investigate the stiffness of the knee joint, in order to provide a basis for developing a biofidelic pedestrian legform impactor. A biofidelic lower limb model was employed to replicate structural responses of the human knee joint by finite element simulations. In the simulation, a single displacement was imposed on the thigh or leg, and constrained six freedoms of the other part. As a result, nonlinear load-displacement data were approximated by a linear regression to determine the stiffness. Considering knee joint kinematics under lateral car-pedestrian impacts, a stiffness matrix was established including lateral bending, lateral shearing and torsion effects that significantly influence pedestrian lower limb injuries. Then, this stiffness matrix was applied in a developed legform model. The structural responses of the legform were obtained by the impact with a family car model. Finally, the legform biofidelity was evaluated by comparing the global kinematics of the pedestrian lower limb.