Virginia Tech Pregnant Occupant Model

A finite element uterine model of a 7-month pregnant female was created and integrated into a multi-body human model. Unrestrained, 3-pt belt, and 3-pt belt plus airbag tests were simulated at speeds ranging from 13 kph to 55 kph.Peak uterine strain, as determined by the model, correlated well with the risk of fetal demise as determined by investigations of car crashes. The strain in the uterine wall exceeded the limits of the tissue in simulations of no restraint at 35 kph and 3-pt belt tests at 45 kph and 55 kph. The safest restraint for the pregnant driver is the combination 3-pt belt and airbag.The model is a good first step toward predicting risk of fetal demise and verified experimental findings noting the importance of proper restraint use for the pregnant occupant.

REFERENCES:

Moorcroft, D., Duma, S., Stitzel, J., Duma, G., "Computational Model of the Pregnant Occupant: Predicting the Risk of Injury in Automobile Crashes," American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Vol. 189 (2), pp. 540-544, 2003.

Moorcroft, D., Stitzel, J., Duma, S., Duma, G., "The Effects of Uterine Ligaments on the Fetal Injury Risk in Frontal Automobile Crashes," Journal of Automobile Engineering, Vol. 217, Part D, pp. 1049-1055, 2003.

Duma, S., Moorcroft, D., Stitzel, J., Duma, G., "Evaluating Pregnant Occupant Restraint Effectiveness: The Effect of Local Uterine Compression on the Risk of Fetal Injury," 48^th Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine Conference, Key Biscayne, FL, 2004.

Moorcroft, D., Stitzel, J., Duma, S., Duma, G., "The Effect of Pregnant Occupant Position and Belt Placement on the Risk of Fetal Injury," Paper Number 2004-01-0324, Society of Automotive Engineers International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, March, 2004.

Moorcroft, D., Duma, S., Stitzel, J., Duma, G., "A Finite Element and Multi-body Model of the Pregnant Female Occupant for the Analysis of Restraint Effectiveness," Society of Automotive Engineers International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, March, 2003.