TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - Human body modelling of motorcyclist impacts with guardrail posts
JO  - Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety
A1  - Bambach, Michael R.
A1  - Grzebieta, Raphael H.
SP  - 20
EP  - 28
VL  - 24
IS  - 4
N2  - Recent research into motorcyclist collisions with roadside barriers has indicated that while they are infrequent events, they often result in severe injury outcomes. Impacts with steel guardrail (W-beam) barrier posts have been identified as significant contributors to such injuries. Thoracic injury has been revealed as the body region most frequently seriously injured (AIS 3+), amongst fatal and non-fatal collisions. One approach to help reduce such trauma is to perform numerical simulations of motorcyclist-barrier collisions, and to develop and assess barrier types and barrier modifications and their impact on injury outcomes.    The aim of the present study is to validate a human FEM model of a motorcyclist impact with a guardrail post, specifically focusing on the incidence and severity of thoracic injuries. Field-observed cases of motorcyclist- barrier collisions in Australia are identified, where a collision of a motorcyclist sliding into a steel guardrail barrier was fully reconstructed. A numerical model of the THUMS human body model sliding into a steel guardrail barrier is developed using LSDYNA. The biomechanical response of the THUMS model is validated against cadaver experiments of blunt anterior-posterior and lateral impacts to the chest, and against the field-observed collisions. The validated model will be a useful tool to develop and assess barriers and barrier modifications designed to improve the safety of roadsides for motorcyclists.    Keywords: Motorcyclist, guardrail, thoracic injury, FEM, computer simulation
LA  - en
SN  - 1832-9497
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -