| In recent years much attention has been paid to applying physical principles and engineering methods to the behavior of parts of the human body, considering it a structure and a machine. This study describes the measurement of loads, deformations, and contours of human thighs and seat cushion materials. Deformation of soft tissues and seat cushion foams are significant factors in determining the interface contours between the seat and the back of the thigh. The goal of this work is to represent the human interactions with seats and to provide quantitative data to develop deformable human models. This study was conducted with related work to develop finite element models of human and seat interactions.; The force versus deflection responses of the thighs did not vary significantly with different foam stiffnesses. This work helps the automotive seat designer understand the complex problem of contact between human soft tissues and seat cushion foams. |
