Study of occupant chest deceleration analysis for frontal collision of vehicle with seatbelt pretensioner

Abstract

In this paper, we analyzed the effort of vehicle frontal collision deceleration waveform and seatbelt pretensioner on chest deceleration using one-dimensional spring-mass model. The chest deceleration based on designed one-dimensional spring-mass model have chest deceleration component generated by relative velocity between vehicle and chest before pretensioner is activated, chest deceleration component generated by connecting vehicle and chest using seatbelt after pretensioner is activated, and chest deceleration component generated pretensioner force. In order to confirm the validity of this one dimensional spring-mass calculation model, we compared with the calculation of MADYMO. The result of comparing spring-mass calculation model with MADYMO was qualitatively consistent and we proved the validity of the spring-mass calculation model that calculates chest deceleration by dividing it into three components. We proved that the various vehicle frontal collision deceleration waveform with the same crash stroke and the relative velocity that occur between vehicle and chest before pretensioner is activated have a critical value that minimizes chest deceleration, and we proved that vehicle deceleration before pretensioner activation timing has the same effort on the chest deceleration regardless of the waveform of vehicle deceleration if relative velocity between vehicle and chest is the same.

Keywords

• automobile
• passive safety
• frontal collision
• occupant restraint
• seatbelt