The influence of seat pad stiffness and damping on the intervertebral forces in the junction of thoracic and lumbar spinal curves

Abstract

This paper presents the investigation having the purpose to find correlation between intervertebral forces in the junction of thoracic and spinal curves and car seat stiffness and damping under the impact loading. The 3D computational model of system to be analyzed was built by means of kinematical-dynamical analysis software MSC. Adams and LifeMOD. The computational model includes human‘s dummy in driver’s position, body with a spine consisting of the four segments, corresponding the curves of the human spine, and seat with parametrically defined stiffness and damping. A variation of the contact force between spinal vertebrae in the junction of thoracic and lumbar spinal curves under kinematical impact in vertical upward direction was estimated under the different pa-rameters of contact between the driver’s body and the seat (stiffness and damping). Relationship between seat stiff-ness and damping was established giving the lowest con-tact force between vertebrae.