Computational techniques are being used more and more in automotive safety engineering. However there is still a need for further development of biofidelic tools for assessing human responses in crash situations. We therefore designed a 3D finite element model of the human body and constituted a large experimental database for the purpose of validation.

The geometry of the seated 50th percentile adult male was chosen for the model. The number of elements used to represent the anatomy was limited to 10 000. The material laws come from existing literature and, when necessary, parameter identification processes were used.

Special attention was paid to the constitution of the validation database. Boundary conditions and results from most of the available cadaver and volunteer experiments were analyzed. In total, more than 30 test configurations were selected. These included sled, impactor and belt compression tests with a wide range of energy levels and in frontal, lateral and oblique directions. More than 120 corridors were derived and integrated into the development or the validation phase. In addition, the model behavior was evaluated in the light of a set of impacts in a vehicle environment.

The model and the construction of the validation database are described in detail. The correlation obtained between model responses and experimental results is shown. Finally, uses of the model are discussed.