• 대한기계학회논문집A
• /
• 제29권6호
• /
• pp.913-920
• /
• 2005

Compared to previous in-vitro test, FE model showed reliable motion patterns. A finite element model of a 50th percentile male neck was developed to study the mechanics of whiplash injury while the rear impacts. The model was consisted of the whole cervical vertebrae including part of occipital, intervertebral discs. which were modeled using linear viscoelastic materials and posterior elements. The sliding interfaces were defined to simulate contact phenomena in facet joints and in odontoid process. All ligaments and atlanto-occipital membrane were modeled as nonlinear bar elements. Only muscle elements were not considered. Motion of each cervical vertebra was obtained from the dynamic simulation with a MADYMO model for 15 km/h $40\%$ rear end offset impacts. Soft tissue neck injury(STNI) was investigated with a developed FE model. In FE model analysis, the high stress was appeared at C3/C4 disc in offset impact. Further research is still needed in order to improve the developed neck FE model for many different crash patterns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제43권2호
• /
• pp.165-183
• /
• 2022

Most transportation departments have recognized and developed procedures to address the ever-increasing weights of trucks traveling on bridges in a service today. Transportation agencies also recognize the issues with overheight vehicles' collisions with bridges, but few stakeholders have definitive countermeasures. Bridges are becoming more vulnerable to collisions from overheight vehicles. The exact response under lateral impact force is difficult to predict. In this paper, nonlinear impact analysis shows that the degree of deformation recorded through the modeling of the unprotected vehicle-girder model provides realistic results compared to the observation from the US-61 bridge overheight vehicle impact. The predicted displacements are 0.229 m, 0.161 m, and 0.271 m in the girder bottom flange (lateral), bottom flange (vertical), and web (lateral) deformations, respectively, due to a truck traveling at 112.65 km/h. With such large deformations, the integrity of an impacted bridge becomes jeopardized, which in most cases requires closing the bridge for safety reasons and a need for rehabilitation. We proposed different sacrificial cushion systems to dissipate the energy of an overheight vehicle impact. The goal was to design and tune a suitable energy absorbing system that can protect the bridge and possibly reduce stresses in the overheight vehicle, minimizing the consequences of an impact. A material representing a Sorbothane high impact rubber was chosen and modeled in ANSYS. Out of three sacrificial schemes, a sandwich system is the best in protecting both the bridge and the overheight vehicle. The mitigation system reduced the lateral deflection in the bottom flange by 89%. The system decreased the stresses in the bridge girder and the top portion of the vehicle by 82% and 25%, respectively. The results reveal the capability of the proposed sacrificial system as an effective mitigation system.