Abstract Automotive safety has recently become one of the
top priorities considered in the auto industry. Anthropomorphic crash test
dummies have been widely used in the assessment of vehicle crashworthiness
and the design of restraint systems. For several years, these dummies have
served the industry well. Statistics has shown that highway fatalities
have been reduced from 2.5 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1975
to 1.5 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1996. However, just as
is true for any other mechanical device, there is always rooms for these
crash dummies to be improved upon. Although many studies have been conducted
in order to improve the biofidelity of these dummies, they are still far
from being totally human like. Obviously, no one would like to design a
vehicle that is safe for a dummy but not for a human occupant.
Keywords: finite elements, 3D modeling, automotive safety, crash
test.
