title: Cavitation/boundary effects in a simple head impact model.
abstract: An experimental and numerical analysis of the impact response of a simple model of the human head is presented. A water-filled 14-cm diameter cylinder was struck by a 10 kg free flying mass. Rigid-body acceleration-time-history and the pressure at the fluid-cylinder interface were monitored during the impact event. Comparisons between the experimental results and the results of a computational model were made. The computational model used is a two-dimensional finite difference code simulating the physical experiment. The code incorporates a thin layer of air and the potential for vaporization along the inside of the cylinder. The study indicates that during a severe impact to the human head, the stresses generated within the brain can result in cavitation on the far side of impact followed by a sudden cavity collapse which can be quite violent. The study identifies how a skull-brain interface and cavitation can potentially affect the internal pressure response of the brain when subjected to a sudden impact.
authors.affiliation: Chrysler Motor Corporation, Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2757, USA.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Nusholtz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wylie
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Glascoe
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000399:Air Pressure; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008954:Models, Biological; D012886:Skull / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014835:Volatilization