Finite Element Analysis of the Human Head Under Side Car Crash Impacts at Different Speeds

Abstract

Mechanical response of the human head under a side car crash impact is crucial for modeling traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or concussions. The current advances in computational methods and the finite element models of the human head provide a significant opportunity for biomechanical study of brain injuries; however, limited experimental data is available for delineating the injury relationship between the head injury criteria (HIC) and the tensile pressure or von Mises stress. In this research, we assess human head injuries in a side impact car crash using finite element (FE) simulations that quantify the tensile pressures and maximum strain profiles. In doing so, five FE analyses for the human head have been carried out to investigate the correlations between the HIC measured in the dummy model at different moving deformable barrier (MDB) velocities increasing from 10 mph to 30 mph in 5 mph increments and the pressure and von Mises stress of the skull, the skin, the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and the brain. The computational simulation results for the tensile pressures and von Mises stresses correlated well with the HIC15 and peak accelerations. Also a second-order polynomial seemed to fit the stress levels to the impact speeds and as such the presented method for using FE human head analysis could be used for reconstruction of head impacts in different side car crash conditions; furthermore, the head model would provide a tool for investigation of the cause and mechanisms of head injuries once the type and locations of injuries are quantified.

The Shrinking Brain: Cerebral Atrophy Following Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Since brain injuries have historically been associated with elevated shear, the von Mises stress highlighted in Figs. 5, 7, and 8 seems to be a reasonable proxy for tissue damage 17. Based on the fact that there is quantitative data on volume loss of some but not all of these structures, we recommend using the estimates of overall volume loss and evenly spread the loss across all aforementioned structures.…”

“…Structural damage to microtubules disrupts the intracellular transport, triggers neuronal inflammation, and causes axonal degeneration 55. Mechanical modeling and computational simulations can correlate microtubule polymerization and cross-link dynamics to axonal damage,15 characterize spatio-temporal patterns of stress, strain, and strain rates in response to mechanical loading,28 and help identify critical risk criteria on the whole brain level 17. In a cortical computational model,26 strain and strain rates in the brain during acute impact localized more in the sulci than in the gyri, which also corresponds to the spatial accumulation of tau proteins in deep sulcal regions in chronic traumatic encephalopathy pathology.…”

Investigation on the Modeling and Reconstruction of Head Injury Accident Using ABAQUS/Explicit

“…The FE head model used for this study was developed and validated by one author of this paper (Deng) and a team of researchers at Mississippi State University based on a set of high-resolution computer tomography (CT) images provided by the National Library of Medicine [ 29 ]. As shown in Figure 1 , in generating this high-fidelity model, the head model was first divided into four parts (skull, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and the outer contour of the head) using image processing software ScanIP.…”

Sensitivity analysis and optimization for occupant safety in automotive frontal crash test

“…They modeled a Dodge Neon with dummy, airbag and seat belt in LSDYNA software. After that, Deng et al (2014) assessed human head injuries in a side impact that quantify the tensile pressures and maximum strain profiles. The crashworthiness of side doors and B pillar in a Pole Side Impact Test is evaluated by Lilehkoohi et al (2014).…”