WorldSID50 is the result of cooperative research between Dassault Systèmes and five German automotive manufacturers.Abaqus WorldSID50 during side impact barrier validation test. Virtual crash tests involving simulation models for the vehicle and dummy can be carried out many times, much faster, and at far less expense than physical crash tests on costly vehicle prototypes. (Images courtesy Dassault Systèmes Simulia).
In 2010 in the US there were 32,788 automobile-related deaths, the lowest number since 1949. The decline is due in large part to major engineering improvements in vehicle design and safety systems. The unsung hero in all this is the crash test dummy.
A $200,000 physical crash dummy, wired up with sensors, is a realistic true-to-life stand-in for a real human in a car crash. A dummy can only be used a few times, so manufacturers have turned to realistic crash test dummy simulation by creating computer crash dummy models. Real-world crash test data is designed into the behavior of these virtual dummies, which can then be crashed many times as the engineers desire, at far less cost than a single physical test.
Abaqus WorldSID50 (with suit) Finite Element mesh. The model is representative of the average male in terms of height, mass, and proportion.
For several years there have been virtual crash test dummies for front- and rear-impact testing, but until recently not a side-impact dummy. An alliance of automotive manufacturers has been working with Dassault Systèmes Simulia to develop an Abaqus-based WorldSID—Worldwide Side Impact Dummy—simulation model that closely correlates with over 300 separate physical calibration tests for material, component, subassembly, and full dummy load cases. A second-generation WorldSID has just been released by Simulia in cooperation with the Partnership for Dummy Technology and Biomechanics.
WorldSID is a 50th Percentile Male designed biofidelity (true-to-life) in automotive crash simulation. The model is representative of the average male in terms of height, mass, and proportion. Various improvements to the dummy design over previous side impact crash dummies, such as incorporation of Nitinol material in the rib cage region, lead to improved biofidelity of WorldSID 2.0 and its ability to simulate side-impact injury.
German car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, and Volkswagen founded the Partnership for Dummy Technology and Biomechanics (PDB) in 2002 as a cooperative venture to combine their specialized knowledge in crash test dummy technology, biomechanics and simulation in order to achieve high standards of occupant protection.
The consortium recently approved Version 2 of the Abaqus model, confirming the close correlation of the model against numerous physical tests carried out on the corresponding dummy hardware.
Abaqus WorldSID50 during Thorax certification pendulum test. The Abaqus WorldSID50 development process has validated the dummy simulation against nearly 300 separate physical calibration tests for material, component, subassembly, and full dummy load cases.
