Finite Element Model of a High-Stature Male Pedestrian for Simulating Car-to-Pedestrian Collisions

Among road traffic deaths, pedestrian accounted for 22 % of all fatalities in the world, 26 % in Europe, and 22 % in the U.S. To investigate the injury risk of the high-stature population, a Finite Element (FE) model corresponding to a male 95th percentile (M95) pedestrian was developed and validated in this study. The model mesh was obtained by morphing the Global Human Body Models Consortium male 50th percentile pedestrian model to the reconstructed geometry of a recruited high-stature human subject. The lower extremity, shoulder, and upper body of the FE model were validated against the Post Mortem Human Surrogate (PMHS) test data recorded in valgus bending, lateral, and anterior-lateral blunt impact tests. Then, a vehicle-pedestrian impact simulation was performed using the whole-body model. In the component validations, the M95 pedestrian model showed higher stiffness than the PMHS test corridors developed for 50th percentile male. The kinematic trajectories predicted by the FE model were well-correlated to the corresponding PMHS test data in whole-body validation. Therefore, the model could be used to investigate various pedestrian accidents and/or to improve safety regulations and vehicle front-end design for high-stature pedestrian protection.