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Thesis work - Lower extremity metrics for SAFER HBM pedestrian assessment

Thesis Worker at Volvo Cars

Welcome to explore the world of Volvo Cars by writing your thesis with us! As a thesis worker in our organization you are supported by a supervisor who follows you during your project. Through your thesis work you will be able to contribute to our company purpose – providing freedom to move in a safe, sustainable and personal way – from day one!

 

About this opportunity - Background

Pedestrian impact is one of the most common impacts in road traffic and contributes significantly to fatalities and severe injuries in worldwide. The head and legs are the most frequently injured body parts.
Pedestrian safety of vehicles is evaluated by means of impactors, an upper leg and lower leg impactor. The capability of the impactors to predict injury risk is limited. The SAFER HBM is a Finite Element (FE) Human Body Model (HBM) that is developed to predict risk of injury to occupants and pedestrians in car crashes. The SAFER HBM is developed for mimicking injury mechanisms in detail and to predict injuries by local physical measurements linked to injury risk. 
In this thesis, a method to enhance the capability of the SAFER HBM to predict lower leg fracture risk will be developed. The project will consist of FE HBM pre-processing in software such as ANSA or external scripts (Matlab or Python). The updated model will then be simulated in both validation scenarios replicating biomechanical subsystem tests as well as in application studies in a vehicle-like environment.

Scope of the thesis work

•    Review of recent relevant impact biomechanics literature on lower extremity injuries with a special focus on pedestrians
•    Identify relevant load cases and develop a method for risk function development
•    Apply the method to SAFER HBM
•    Evaluate the risk function by means of reconstructing pedestrian impacts identified in the literature
•    Learn how to pre-process, run, and analyze crash FE simulations.

What you'll bring

This master thesis project is suitable for two students, preferably with good knowledge of the FE method, biomechanics, and scripting. The work will be carried out at Volvo Cars Safety Centre during spring 2026. FE simulations will be done using the LS-DYNA FE software.

Duration

•    The work will start in January 2026 
•    The duration for this thesis work is 20 weeks.
•    30 ECTS (Master academic credits)   in agreement with your Thesis Advisor in University
•    This thesis is to be conducted by 2 Students working in pair. 

Volvo Cars. For Life.

For nearly a century, Volvo Cars has empowered people to move freely in a personal, sustainable and safe way. Today, we are driving bold advancements in electrification, sustainability and automotive safety. To realize our ambitious vision, we are seeking innovative minds who are ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow – today.
 
In our company, we believe extraordinary things are achieved by ordinary people with the drive to make a difference.

Ready to take the next step?

Applications should include your CV and a brief personal letter stating your interests within the given area and your thoughts and credentials. Submit your CV in English 

Applications must be received no later than 31st of October 2025. We are prioritising direct applications to ensure a fair and efficient application process.
 
For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Recruiter Radoslaw Piela at radoslaw.piela@volvocars.com.

For specific questions about the position, please reach out to Hiring Manager Linus Wågström at LINUS.WAGSTROM@VOLVOCARS.COM.

Welcome with your application!

Gothenburg, SE, 40531

Job requisition ID:  77673

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