The Effect of Inflated Backrest Stiffness on Shearing Loads Estimated with Articulated Total Body

Abstract: In the construction of simulations of rear-end vehicle impacts, the Articulated Total Body (ATB) software package can be a useful tool. In this article we discuss the effect of using artificially inflated values for seat-backrest stiffness in ATB simulations. We will also present methods for quickly assessing the quality of simulation results. In this connection, we will discuss the perils of using the default contact-force models that are included in ATB package releases.