Thresholds of Failure: Biomechanical Prediction of Hip and Acetabular Fractures in High-Velocity Dashboard Impacts
APPLIED SCIENCES, cilt.16, sa.20, ss.1-18, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 20
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/app162010283
- Dergi Adı: APPLIED SCIENCES
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-18
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Featured Application
The proposed finite element framework can be applied to the biomechanical assessment
of lower extremity injuries in frontal vehicle collisions. It can support the evaluation and
optimization of vehicle dashboard designs by reducing computational time and helping to
identify critical impact velocities and injury risks.
Abstract
Lower extremity trauma, particularly femoral and acetabular fractures, remains a burden
in frontal vehicle collisions. Despite advances in safety systems that have reduced head and
torso injuries, lower extremity trauma persists. This study evaluated the biomechanical
response and fracture initiation thresholds of the femur–pelvis system during dashboard
impacts. A finite element (FE) model was developed in LS-DYNA, incorporating a femur
and a hemipelvis with isotropic elastoplastic material properties. Impact scenarios were
simulated against a vehicle dashboard at velocities ranging from 2 m/s to 13.4 m/s. Fracture
initiation was evaluated using peak contact forces, von Mises stress, and effective plastic
strain distributions. Joint lubrication was also assessed by varying the friction coefficients
(0.01, 0.08 and 0.24). The validation results showed good agreement with the established
literature and experimental ranges. Impact velocity was the primary determinant of
injury severity, whereas friction coefficients had negligible influence on fracture onset.
Under idealized boundary conditions, fracture initiation onset velocities were predicted
as 5 m/s for the posterior acetabular wall, 5.5 m/s for the femoral head, and 10 m/s for
the femoral neck. This FE framework effectively predicts injury mechanisms with reduced
computational cost, providing quantitative metrics for dashboard crashworthiness and
valuable insight into injury patterns.
Keywords: frontal crash; hip joint biomechanics; dashboard injury; finite element analysis;
fracture mechanism