Toward a Predictive Assessment of Stab-Penetration Forces.
Collaborative research between the disciplines of forensic pathology and biomechanics was undertaken to investigate the hyperelastic properties of human skin, to determine the force required for sharp instrument penetration of skin, and to develop a finite element model, which reflects the mechanisms of sharp instrument penetration. These studies have led to the development of a "stab metric," based on simulations, to describe the force magnitudes in stabbing incidents. Such a metric should, in time, replace the crudely quantitative descriptors of stabbing forces currently used by forensic pathologists.
From the *School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield; and †Office of the State Pathologist, Fire Brigade Training Centre, Marino; and ‡School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Aisling
A
Ní Annaidh
Marie
M
Cassidy
Michael
M
Curtis
Michel
M
Destrade
Michael D
MD
Gilchrist
D003198:Computer Simulation; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D044707:Forensic Sciences; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D014951:Wounds, Stab