Study of Vehicle-to-Pedestrian Interactions with FEM – Evaluation of Upper Leg Test Methods using a Human Body Model

Abstract: The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) performs several different tests to evaluate vehicles and rate their safety. Some of these tests are subsystem tests made to mimic different body parts of a pedestrian in an interaction with a vehicle. However, some criticism to the test method for the upper leg has been presented, stating that there is a discrepancy between this test method and a real-life interaction. Therefore, a modified test method for the upper leg has been proposed. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the upper leg test method used today by Euro NCAP, and compare it with the proposed modified test method as well as to computer simulations with a Human Body Model (HBM). The evaluation was performed by comparing different parameters obtained in the two test methods. These have also been compared to computer simulations using a HBM in interaction with a passenger vehicle model. Prior to the evaluation of the test methods, the HBM was positioned into different stances to mimic postures in the human walking cycle. The vehicle model was positioned at four different heights, and three different impact points along the bonnet were used. The results showed that the different methods had their own advantages for some parameters. However, no general conclusion of which method showed the closest correlation to the HBM reference simulations could be determined.