Shock wave impact simulation of a vehicle occupant using fluid/structure/dynamics interactions

Ground vehicles subjected to blast can result in vehicle movements and occupant injuries. The engineering mechanisms involved in such blasts include fluid dynamics, solid dynamics, and multi-body dynamics. This paper describes a parallel computer simulation methodology that can be applied to couple the structural deformation prediction of a ground vehicle system and the associated occupant kinematics during a blast event. Generic box and dummy models were used in the demonstration of this newly-developed methodology. The generic system structure consists of an outer cube representing a vehicle armor structure, and a dummy representing a crew member in a ground vehicle. Simulation results for different cases include free air blast wave propagation, blast on a metal plate and over a hemispherical dome, and blast wave interaction with a vehicle and its occupant inside.