Comparison of response variation of THOR and Hybrid III dummy Models in a controlled rollover impact model

Several dynamic rollover test procedures have been developed over the years; however, the repeatability of test results is often questioned. Also, there can be sensitivity of test and simulation results to small variations in the initial conditions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the response variation of three different crash dummy finite element (FE) models (two versions of a 50th percentile male Hybrid III (HIII) and a Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR) dummy) in a simulation of a controlled rollover test, using a late model vehicle FE model. A baseline model was established with each dummy, and then a global sensitivity analysis was performed for each dummy varying vehicle design and crash parameters. The simplified HIII dummy model was very sensitive to small variations in the initial conditions of the test. Both the THOR and detailed HIII models gave very consistent results presenting similar trends in the sensitivity analysis.