Authors: Derek A. Jones, Kyle P. McNamara, James P. Gaewsky, Ashley A. Weaver, and Joel D. Stitzel—Wake Forest School of Medicine, Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University Center for Injury Biomechanics; Jacob B. Putnam and Jeffrey T. Somers—KBRwyle
Abstract
The use of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) for calculating injury risk of occupants in spaceflight scenarios is crucial for ensuring the safety of crewmembers. Finite element (FE) modeling of ATDs has the benefit of reducing cost and time in the design process. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of optimized material properties on an FE THOR and evaluate its efficacy for spaceflight configuration testing using a multi-direction test matrix. 11 physical tests were simulated using the NHTSA FE THOR v2.1 as well as an updated version of model with optimized material properties for
spaceflight loading directions, combining for 22 total simulations. Simulation responses were compared to physical testing using the CORrelaiton and Analysis (CORA) method (Gehre, 2009). The updates to the model increased fidelity by 18.8%, and the model was determined to be sufficiently validated for spaceflight configuration modeling and simulation.
Pages: 4
Event: 61st Stapp Car Crash Conference
Type: Short Communication