Developments in Finite Element Safety Models

FTSS has been providing Finite Element models to the safety community for over a decade. This has resulted in an expansive family of; commonly used Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs), dummies primed for future regulation, and complimentary safety tools for the examination of unique protection systems, such as ejection mitigation. In conjunction, the last 10 years have seen a continuous demand for increased quality and functionality of existing dummy model products, and new tools to help safety engineers address the evolving requirements of regulatory bodies and consumer agencies. While an expanding database for development and validation has helped dummy models reach further levels of maturity and accuracy, close involvement with physical product design and development has allowed for early adaptation of hardware updates. Furthermore, collaborative efforts within the automotive community have become a key component of new model development. With this approach, these new models target the upfront requirements of OEMs and their suppliers. Further improvement of existing models and end-user participation for the development of new models is leading to more powerful ready-to-use models for safety engineers in the Finite Element community.