PRAKIMOD: PEUGEOT RENAULT ACCIDENTS KINEMATICS MODEL THEORY, VALIDATION AND APPLICATIONS

The mathematical model of the man involved in accidents, PRAKIMOD, (peugeot/renault accidents kinematics model), developed by LPB-APR, is an extrapolation of the MVMA-2D model produced by the highway safety research institute before 1973. The principal feature of the model is the mathematical representation of the man by a complex two-dimensional rheological system exposed to impacts over a period of time. The software is written in FORTRAN IV and at the present moment works on IBM 3090 hardware. It was initially designed for the simulation of frontal impacts, and was then extended to the configuration of the pedestrian struck by a vehicle. We also possess TRAJ/PROF software which allows US to analyze the front end of an automobile on a database of 250 types of impacts. At the present moment, the model is tested in frontal impact for several types of restraint systems; it is possible to simulate the classical three-point seat belt as well as certain types of passive restraints: several examples will be presented. The simulation of lateral impacts is also one of the priority lines of research we are working on. Among the most interesting applications we carry out, are the study of the influence of bumper height and protrusion on pedestrian kinematics and impact severity and the design of an optimum passive restraint system before crash testing of a new model begins, which is the aim of mathematical model.