Abstract
The present study analyzed the local response of the thoracic rib-cage against blunt loading using a human elderly FE model. The model was established based on the thoracic CT imaging, representing the average anthropometry of an AM 50th percentile elderly human subject. To develop a local stiffness map of the thorax, a series of simulated frontal impact test was conducted; longitudinal impact tests with an increment of 25mm and angular impact tests with an increment of 5 degrees were done. The variation of the local stiffness and the contribution of each thoracic component to the global thoracic deflection were identified.
