Session 8: DHM Using Finite Element Modeling

Evaluation of personalized human body buttock-thigh finite element models in terms of soft tissue deformation for seat comfort assessment

Authors: , , ,

Abstract

Finite element models (FEM) of human body models (HBM) are used to analyze static seating discomfort mainly in terms of interface pressure distribution on the seat surface. However, most of the HBMs are not validated under actual seating conditions due to the difficulty of measuring internal body loads such as soft tissue deformation, intervertebral disc pressures, etc. The rare HBM-related studies claiming validation have only analyzed the interface pressure distribution. Recent experiments conducted with and without foam for different seat pan inclinations using open MRI indicate that soft tissue deformation below the ischial tuberosity (IT) is affected by both contact pressure and shear and thus could be an objective indicator in seat discomfort assessment. The aim of this present study is to report a preliminary evaluation of FE-HBMs against these subject-specific experimental data in terms of interface pressure and soft tissue deformation.

Keywords: human body finite element model (HBM FEM), soft tissue deformation, seat comfort, cushion foam, thigh-buttock model

How to Cite: Sridhar, G. , Savonnet, L. , Lafon, Y. & Wang, X. (2022) “Evaluation of personalized human body buttock-thigh finite element models in terms of soft tissue deformation for seat comfort assessment”, Proceedings of the 7th International Digital Human Modeling Symposium. 7(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/dhm.31774