Finite Element Analysis of Brain Damage due to Impact Force with a Three Dimensional Head Model

Abstract:

Brain damage by the impact force was evaluated by the numerical analysis with a three dimensional Finite Element (FE) model. The FE model was constructed from the MRI data of a subject, and visco-elastic behavior for constitutive equation was applied to the brain tissue. From the FE simulation, brain damage and deformation of the frontal head impacted by a steel impactor were analyzed. The variations of head acceleration and Intra-Cranial Pressure (ICP) during the impact were analyzed in order to evaluate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In addition, relative displacement between the skull and the brain due to head impact was investigated. And, pathological severity was evaluated according to Head Injury Criterion (HIC) from the FE simulation. The analytic results of brain damage showed a good agreement with those of the cadaver test performed by Nahum et al. (1977) and other medical reports. And then, the variation of the HIC value was evaluated according to various impact conditions. This study would provide useful data and methodology in the field of biomechanics for analyzing the brain damage by head impact.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volumes 297-300)
• Pages: 1333-1338
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.297-300.1333
• Online since: November 2005
• Authors: Chang Min Suh, Sung Ho Kim, Byung Won Hwang
• Keywords: Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Head Injury Criterion HIC, Possibility of Head Injury P_Head, Traumatic Brain Injury TBI

References

[1] M. Sakurai: Accident Data Analysis of Occupant Injuries in Front Car Collisions 18 (6) (1996), pp.225-229.

[2] S. Luchter and M.C. Walz: Long Term Consequences of Head Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury - Biosceince and Biomechanics Mary Ann Liebert. Inc. Edited by F.A. Bandak. R.H. Eppinger, A.K. Ommaya (1996), pp.9-18.

[3] Y. C Fung: Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues (Pringer-Verag, NewYork, 1981).

[4] A. Nahum, R. Smith and C. Ward: Intracranial Pressure Dynamics During Head Impact, Proceedings of 21st Stapp Car Crash Conference (1997), pp.339-366.

[5] J.D. Ferry: Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers (John Wiley & Sons, New York 1980).

[6] R. Willinger, H.S. Kang and B. Diaw: Three-Dimensional Human Head Finite-Element Model Validation Against Two Experimental Impacts, Annals of Biomedical Engineering Vol. 27 (1999), pp.403-410.

DOI: 10.1114/1.165

[7] L. Shuck and S. Advani: Rheological Response of Human Brain Tissue in Sheaing, Journal of Basic Engineering-Transaction of the ASME (1972), pp.905-911.

DOI: 10.1115/1.3425588

[8] J. Versace: A Review of the Severity Index, SAE No. 710881 (1971).