Biodynamic modeling of a pedestrian impact with a rigid frontal guard of a utility vehicle

Abstract

Accident data reveals that in most pedestrian accidents, the pedestrian head and lower extremity are vulnerable to serious injuries. The vehicle front geometry profile as well as the impact speed are important factors affecting the pedestrian kinematics and injury potential. In the US, accident data also shows that the fatality rate for pedestrian/light trucks and vans (LTV) impact is greater than that for the pedestrian/passenger-car impact. Addition of a front guard on light trucks and sports utility vehicles to mitigate damage during off-road activity or to provide mounting points for extra lights, makes the pedestrian more vulnerable to the impact. In this paper, a computational technique is utilized to study the influence of the added front guard on the impacted pedestrian. A CAD model of a typical commercial frontal guard is developed and converted into a rigid facet model, and attached to the vehicle front. The validated standing dummy model in the MADYMO code is used to simulate a pedestrian, and the rigid facet-surface model of a pickup truck is used to generate a vehicle front surface. This computational model is validated by comparing the pedestrian kinematics with the published data. This study demonstrates that the pedestrian mid body region is more vulnerable with the addition of guard on the vehicle. The result from this study facilitates a better understanding of a guard design and its geometry profile as required to protect vulnerable road users.