Finite element simulations of the head–brain responses to the top impacts of a construction helmet: Effects of the neck and body mass

Abstract

Traumatic brain injuries are among the most common severely disabling injuries in the United States. Construction helmets are considered essential personal protective equipment for reducing traumatic brain injury risks at work sites. In this study, we proposed a practical finite element modeling approach that would be suitable for engineers to optimize construction helmet design. The finite element model includes all essential anatomical structures of a human head (i.e. skin, scalp, skull, cerebrospinal fluid, brain, medulla, spinal cord, cervical vertebrae, and discs) and all major engineering components of a construction helmet (i.e. shell and suspension system). The head finite element model has been calibrated using the experimental data in the literature. It is technically difficult to precisely account for the effects of the neck and body mass on the dynamic responses, because the finite element model does not include the entire human body. An approximation approach has been developed to account for the effects of the neck and body mass on the dynamic responses of the head–brain. Using the proposed model, we have calculated the responses of the head–brain during a top impact when wearing a construction helmet. The proposed modeling approach would provide a tool to improve the helmet design on a biomechanical basis.

Head Impact Severity Measures for Small Social Robots Thrown During Meltdown in Autism

“…This silicone layer will be used in estimating potential tissue injuries due to its close Shore hardness value to that of the human skin [86]. The developed setup focuses on the dynamics of the head only because for short impact durations, the effects of the neck and body mass on the head are believed to be minimum [112]. A low-cost triple-axis accelerometer (ADXL 377, Spark-Fun Electronics, Colorado, USA) was placed at the center of the head to measure the linear acceleration of the head.…”

Prediction of impact response in construction safety helmet using FEA

“…Two series of FE simulations were performed in this study. The first series of simulation was to validate the impact response of a striker on a helmet-cradle-headform FE model by comparing with simulation data from Wu et al (2017). The second series of simulation was performed to predict the risk of injury involved in a CS helmet accessed during top impact loading.…”

“…Jacob et al (2016) developed a FE model of skull-brain to simulate and predict the responses of safety helmets under varying impact heights. Modified FE models of human head have been developed by Wu et al (2017) to assess the effect of neck and body mass during impact on a construction safety helmet and relative responses on head-brain model. Liu and Chen (2017) developed the mechanical FE model of an open face-motorcycle helmet having ventilation slots and safety standards (IS 2925) were considered during impact tests.…”

A Review of Validation Methods for the Intracranial Response of FEHM to Blunt Impacts

“…As the technology to create FEHM has become more established and accessible, researchers have begun to create in-house models designed/customised for specific investigations and applications. Often models are developed to investigate the influence of particular impact conditions, such as location [93,94], or the presence/properties of protection [94][95][96][97][98]. Numerous more FEHM have been developed to investigate the effect of properties within the models themselves.…”