Abstract:

A finite element model of the human lower extremity was improved based on the geometry of human skeleton anatomy. The model consists of the pelvis, the femur, the patella, the tibia, the fibula, the foot bones, the primary tendons, the knee joint capsule, the meniscus and ligaments. In the model the bones and soft tissues were simulated by the solid element, the shell element, and the linear springdamper element. The comparison of the model simulated dynamic response parameters and injury distribution of the human lower extremity with the shearingbending cadaver tests described in literature proved the validity of the model. The validated human lower extremity model and an existing pedestrian multibody model were used to reconstruct the multibody system and its injuries in the realworld vehiclepedestrian collision accident, and the results show that the proposed model is characterized by better biofidelity and biomechanical response than the existing one, being helpful to the study of lower extremity injuries and the development of injury protection devices.

Key words: vehicle engineering, finite element model, lower extremity injury, injury mechanism, vehicle-pedestrian accident