Finite Element Analyses on Head and Thoracic Fracture in a Furniture Collision

– Effects of Body Size Difference and Furniture Front Door –

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of body size difference on the injury severity from furniture collisions by using finite element analyses. A total of 16 cases were assumed in which a bookshelf collided with a mid-size adult male and a small adult female, and the injury mechanism and bone fracture risk were examined based on contact force, stress, and rib cage deformation. The results showed that the head was at higher risk of depressed fractures regardless of body size, and the rib cage was greatly deformed, when struck by a bookshelf with a door, increasing the risk of rib fractures.