LOWER EXTREMITY AND BRAKE PEDAL INTERACTION IN FRONTAL COLLISIONS: COMPUTER SIMULATION

Abstract

This study examined, in an Articulated Total Body frontal crash simulation created with the dummy's right foot placed on the brake pedal, how interaction of the driver's foot with the brake pedal influenced the behavior of the lower extremities in frontal collisions. Braking parameters considered included foot position on the pedal, tensing of the occupant's muscles, and if the brake pedal was rigid or allowed to depress. Two basic foot positions were identified as most likely to induce injury of the lower limb. One represented a foot pivoted about the heel from the gas pedal to the brake pedal and the other replicated a foot lifted from the gas pedal to the brake pedal, resulting in an initial gap between the heel and floor. Both positions resulted in different loads and behavior of the foot, but loads in the tibia were higher than the relaxed occupant due to changes in the foot position and timing of the foot and toepan interaction. In cases where the pedal was allowed to depress, the tibia axial load and bending moment were 10% and 13% higher, respectively, than with a fixed pedal. The foot rotations and foot contact forces were not significantly different in magnitude.