The contribution of seat components to seat hardness and the interface between human occupant and a driver seat

Abstract

Effective digital human model (DHM) simulation of automotive driver packaging ergonomics, safety and comfort depends on accurate modelling of occupant posture, which is strongly related to the mechanical interaction between human body soft tissue and flexible seat components. This paper comprises: a study investigating the component mechanical behaviour of a spring-suspended, production level seat when indented by SAE J826 type, human thigh-buttock model hard shell; a model of seated human buttock shape for improved indenter design using a multivariate representation of Australian population thigh-buttock anthropometry; and a finite-element study simulating the deflection of seat cushion foam, underlying suspension and the seat frame when loaded by a 95th percentile occupant. The results of the three studies provide a description of the mechanical properties of the driver-seat interface, and allow validation of future dynamic simulations, involving multi-body and finite-element (FE) DHM in virtual ergonomic studies.