Finite element modeling of the human head under baton impact

ABSTRACT

This research will try to predict damage probability and calculate the main stress resulted from baton impacts by finite element [FE] modeling of the human head considering skull texture, brain and cerebrospinal fluid. A three dimensional FE model of the skull-brain complex was constructed for simulating the baton impact. The FE analysis was carried out using ANSYS program with a nonlinear transient dynamic procedure and the Euler-Lagrangian coupling method. The data used this study were taken from the literature, mentioned in Tables 2 and 3. Different results were carried out with different values of the bulk modulus and the short-term shear modulus [G[0]] for the cerebrospinal fluid and brain material. Considering the values from Figure 8, it was found that the short term shear modulus of the neural tissue had the biggest effect on intracranial frontal pressure and on the model's Von-Mises response. A comparison between different mesh densities showed that a coarsely meshed model is adequate for investigating the pressure response of the model, while a finer mesh is more appropriate for detailed investigations. Because of the complexity of this phenomenon, in spite of its importance, there is a little understanding of how baton impact affects the human head. In this paper, the model was validated against a series of cadaveric impact tests. We can conclude that a well validated FE modeling is a powerful tool for investigating the physical process of simulating head trauma.