In occupant safety assessment. numerical simulation of crash events provides a valuable tool for the automotive engineer. In this field, realistic models of the occupant or its surrogate in the development process - the Dummy — are of particular interest.

While Dummy models based on Rigid Body Dynamics yield satisfactory results in most loading situations during a Frontal Impact, Dummy models partly or completely realized with fully deformable Finite Elements can potentially cover a wider range of problems and can be adapted to a specific degree of result depth. due to the higher level of modelling

In this paper the different levels of modelling of the Hybrid III Dummy Family are considered;​ starting with relatively simple Rigid Body Dummies to fully deformable Finite Elements Modules. First tendencies in the development process can be achieved with Rigid Body Dummies. Rigid Dummy Models with moving spring-connected parts, e.g. for Thorax deformation, give more detailed results about the injuries of the occupant when parts of the car interior penetrate the chest. The best and most detailed results can be achieved with fully deformable Finite Element Modules, e.g. a Thorax model with ribs.

For an efficient usage of the Finite Element Method in this field it is necessary to have all Dummies available, with all segments from rigid through fully deformable. For this reason, the Hybrid III Dummy Family for Frontal Impact is under development. Based on the modelling and validation of the individual components of the Dummies, full models are assembled. The modelling and validation process is presented for some examples, together with comparisons of experimental and numerical results. Standard certification procedures, like dr0p-. impactor- and sled tests serve as a tool for the evaluation of the FE- models. Here, the close collaboration between those carrying out the experiments and those setting up the models, is essential in steadily improving the models.