Developing a Virtual Consumer: From Human Skin to FE Modelling

Abstract: In the 'on-the-go' society of today, the use of single unit beverage packages has increased. Consequently, the interaction between the consumer and the package have also attracted greater interest when trying to gain advantages in a competitive market. One way of gaining such an advantage is by decreasing the developing costs of products: either by reducing time spent, or money invested in prototypes. Virtual testing provides a solution to both these scenarios and is something which Tetra Pak in particular, has become interested in. Using two different package opening devices in an initial trial for virtual testing, this work set out to evaluate the prospect of using simulations as a new tool in evaluating these frames and investigating their interaction with a virtual human-like consumer. To model this virtual consumer the mechanical properties of human soft tissue, skin ('dermis') in particular, have been investigated. Using hyperelastic material models a suitable material was formulated using inverse FE modelling and an experimental validation from existing literature. This material model was then used in dynamic 2D and 3D simulations using ABAQUS, where the interaction between package opening devices and the consumer was studied. The result consists of two parts: Firstly, a configuration of a Neo-Hookean and a single term Ogden material, which replicates human facial tissue well enough to provide realistic deformation and stress within a [-0.4, 0.15] true strain range. Secondly, a methodology of how package opening devices may be evaluated and how to model a drinking motion to replicate a human drinking action. Future prospects of this work could be to integrate it in the design process of a number of different opening devices. Enabling pre-production evaluation of designs, which could shorten the developing time needed and also reduce the waste material from failed designs. Moreover, it could also be used as a tool in improving the drinking experience of consumers if for instance strain measures are connected with pleasantness by performing consumer tests.