基于有限元模型的人体头部尺寸对颅内响应影响的探讨

本研究借助第5和第95百分位中国人头部有限元模型,通过对比小尺寸头部和大尺寸头部在相同载荷下的加速度、颅内压力和剪应力,来说明头部尺寸对其生物力学响应存在着较大的影响。在此基础上,本研究还进一步通过将大尺寸模型换算到小尺寸,将小尺寸模型换算到大尺寸,探讨了尺寸缩放方法在用于考虑头部尺寸的生物力学研究中的合理性。研究结果表明现有的采用相同头部损伤准则(HIC)值评估不同尺寸头部损伤有一定的局限性,并为更加科学地评判不同尺寸头部损伤提供了新的理论依据。     

6岁儿童行人-汽车碰撞中碰撞角度对头部损伤的影响

目的应用符合欧洲新车安全评鉴协会(the European New Car Assessment Programme,Euro NCAP)要求的6岁儿童行人有限元模型,探究不同碰撞角度对儿童头部损伤的影响。方法应用符合Euro NCAP技术公告(TB024)并且具有详细解剖学结构的6岁儿童行人有限元模型,设置4组行人-汽车碰撞仿真试验,探究不同碰撞角度下儿童头部损伤情况。人体头部质心初始位置在车的纵向中心线上,轿车初速度为40 km/h,轿车分别与人体右侧、前侧、左侧、后侧碰撞(即0°、90°、180°、270°)。比较不同碰撞角度下运动学差异和头部碰撞响应,同时分析面骨和颅骨的损伤情况。结果通过分析儿童行人头部接触力、头部质心合加速度、头部质心相对于车的合速度、头部损伤标准(head injury criterion,HIC_(15))、面骨骨折情况以及颅骨应力分布发现,背面、正面碰撞下儿童头部骨折及发生脑组织损伤的风险大于侧面碰撞,其中背面碰撞下儿童行人头部损伤风险最高,侧面碰撞下儿童行人头部损伤风险最低。结论背面碰撞下儿童行人头部损伤风险最大,研究结果对行人-汽车碰撞评估和防护装置研发具有重要的应用价值。     

10岁儿童头部有限元模型的建立及验证

运用ANSYS ICEM CFD以及HYPERMESH软件对10岁儿童头部几何模型进行合理的网格划分,获得具有高度解剖学细节的10岁儿童头部有限元模型。利用MADYMO软件自带的假人,模拟一起典型跌落事故中,受伤儿童从3个不同高度跌落时人体的动力学响应过程,并计算头部与地面碰撞接触瞬间的方位和速度等运动学参数。然后将这些参数输入到10岁儿童头部有限元模型中,模拟头部与地面的碰撞过程,并分析与损伤相关的生物力学参数。结果表明,颅骨的最大应力和最大应变分布在枕骨右侧,与碰撞点的位置较为吻合,但均未超过颅骨的耐受极限。利用颅内压力可较好地预测脑组织的损伤程度,而利用脑组织的von mises应力可较好地判断脑组织的损伤位置。事故重建的结果表明,该模型具有较好的生物逼真度,可以用于儿童头部损伤生物力学的研究。     

应用于头部损伤生物力学研究的三维有限元模型发展概况

在交通事故中,头部损伤因其高发率和高致命率成为最严重的损伤.为了研究头部损伤,出现了一系列诸如物理试验、动物试验及尸体试验等研究方法.近年来,随着计算生物力学的发展,人体头部的有限元模型逐渐成为研究头部损伤生物力学的重要工具,文中就头部有限元模型的发展过程及最新进展进行了较为全面的综述,并探讨了该领域未来需要研究的问题.     

具有详细解剖学结构的1岁学步儿童头部有限元模型构建及验证

目的构建详细的1岁学步儿童头部有限元模型,探究其颅脑损伤机制,完善人体有限元生物力学模型数据库。方法基于我国1岁儿童真实详细的头部CT数据,借助医学软件Mimics获得头部几何结构数据,利用逆向工程软件划分NURBS曲面片和构建工程模型,利用有限元前处理软件划分网格,参照解剖学和尸体实验等数据,验证1岁学步儿童头部有限元模型的有效性并初步分析其损伤机制。结果构建了中国男性1岁儿童头部有限元模型,模型包括并区分了大脑及小脑的灰质和白质、海马体、囟门、矢状骨缝、冠状骨缝、脑干、脑室等,几何尺寸符合解剖学统计数据。利用头部模型重构了儿童头部静态压缩尸体实验和跌落尸体实验,结果表明,该头部模型与尸体实验表现了相近的力学特征,验证了模型的有效性。计算表明不同压缩速率下颅骨刚度不同,会导致不同损伤结果。结论所构建的包含详细解剖学结构的1岁儿童头部有限元模型具有较高的生物仿真度,借助构建的模型可分析深部脑组织各部位的详细损伤情况,特别是闭合性颅脑损伤,为相关研究及临床应用提供有效的工具和手段。     

颅脑组织材料参数对儿童头部冲击响应的影响

目的针对目前对儿童颅脑组织材料参数的不确定性,研究直接冲击载荷条件下颅脑组织材料参数对儿童头部冲击响应的影响。方法应用已验证的3岁儿童头部有限元模型进行冲击仿真实验,采用正交实验设计和方差分析对儿童颅脑组织材料进行参数分析。结果颅骨弹性模量对儿童头部冲击响应具有显著性影响,随着颅骨弹性模量的增加,头部撞击侧颅内压力显著减小(P=0.000),对撞侧颅内压力显著增大(P=0.000),颅骨最大Von Mises应力显著增大(P=0.000)。脑组织的线性黏弹性材料参数对儿童头部冲击响应同样具有显著性影响,随着脑组织短效剪切模量的增加,脑组织最大主应变显著减小(P=0.000),脑组织最大剪应力则显著增加(P=0.000)。结论参数分析结果可为今后儿童头部有限元模型的材料选取提供参考依据,进而提升模型在预测临床上无法通过脑CT影像确诊的脑震荡等脑损伤时的准确性。     

不同载荷作用下头部生物力学响应仿真分析

目的建立符合解剖结构的人颅骨三维有限元模型,研究多种载荷作用下头部生物力学响应。方法通过建立具有解剖结构的高精度头部有限元模型,颅骨采用能模拟骨折的弹塑性材料本构模型,结合已发表的正面冲击颅内压实验、动态颅骨骨折实验、头部跌落实验结果,仿真再现实验过程中头部受冲击载荷作用下的生物力学响应、颅骨骨折及头部不同速度下的跌落响应。结果前碰撞表现出冲击与对冲侧正-负颅内压分布,相近载荷下枕骨变形比前额、顶骨严重,跌落中速度越快损伤越大。结论建立精确解剖结构的头部有限元模型可以较好模拟头部在冲击、跌落等载荷下的生物力学响应。通过量化接触力、颅内压力等参数来评价头部损伤风险,为防护系统的设计提供科学依据。     

基于3D Shepp-Logan头部模型的三维医学图像重建仿真

Shepp-Logan头部模型是计算机断层图像重建(CT)领域仿真计算普遍采用的经典模型。我们提出一种新思路—以3D Shepp-Logan头部模型作为三维医学图像重建领域进行仿真实验和算法性能评测的基本参考模型。首先介绍了3D Shepp-Logan头部模型的设计与实现以及仿真投影数据的计算,进而描述了所设计的三维医学图像重建仿真计算过程。数值实验部分给出了基于3D Shepp-Logan头部模型的三维医学图像重建仿真实验。实验结果表明了新思路的可行性和模型计算的准确性。     

6岁儿童头部有限元模型的构建与验证

借助6岁儿童医用头部CT扫描图片,通过图像分析处理,提取几何参数,重构生成三维几何模型。对几何模型进行有限元前处理,构建了一个6岁儿童头部有限元模型。模型中包含颅骨、骨缝、脑脊液、大脑、小脑、脑干、脑室等各个器官,共有44 886个节点,11 675个壳单元,37 482个六面体单元。.各器官材料属性采用来自参考文献的数据。仿真分析计算中,力加载时窗为11 ms时,模型的CPU计算时长低于1 h。采用Nahum尸体实验数据与仿真结果进行对比。仿真分析结果显示:成人头部撞击时撞击压与对撞压的形成规律同样适用于儿童头部碰撞。在7 900 N力作用下,尸体头部撞击侧最大压应力为140 kPa,对撞侧最大压应力为-60 kPa,而儿童头部的值分别为220.2 kPa和-135.2 kPa;在HIC值均为775的作用下,成人头部撞击侧和对撞侧最大压应力分别为140 kPa和-60 kPa,而儿童头部的值分别为160 kPa和-89 kPa。这表明,在相同作用力或HIC值下与成人相比,儿童头部更容易受到损伤。     

冲击过程中脑组织力学行为的数值模拟

通过有限元法,计算不同加速度载荷下人体脑部颅压变化,并将计算结果与头部损伤准则（HIC）标准进行对比。使用超弹＋黏弹本构关系模拟脑组织行为,分析颅骨-脑组织系统在冲击载荷下的力学响应,并对比重力、脑脊液压力等对脑组织力学行为模拟的影响。结果发现,考虑重力与否（重力方向与速度和加速度方向垂直）对求解的影响相对较小,考虑重力因素会使每个颅压波动周期内的最小值略有增加。在加速度载荷施加的时间范围内,第一个颅内压力波动周期内的颅压的最大值较大,并在随后的波动周期内逐渐降低。对于人体脑部组织保护而言,考虑脑脊液压力的计算更靠近安全设计。对于不同的加速度载荷,HIC标准在判断人体脑部组织损伤时具有不一致的效果。在汽车（机车）的高速制动（加速）过程中,减速（加速）的初始阶段对人体脑组织的危害性最大。     

Dynamic Response and Residual Helmet Liner Crush Using Cadaver Heads and Standard Headforms

Biomechanical headforms are used for helmet certification testing and reconstructing helmeted head impacts; however, their biofidelity and direct applicability to human head and helmet responses remain unclear. Dynamic responses of cadaver heads and three headforms and residual foam liner deformations were compared during motorcycle helmet impacts. Instrumented, helmeted heads/headforms were dropped onto the forehead region against an instrumented flat anvil at 75, 150, and 195 J. Helmets were CT scanned to quantify maximum liner crush depth and crush volume. General linear models were used to quantify the effect of head type and impact energy on linear acceleration, head injury criterion (HIC), force, maximum liner crush depth, and liner crush volume and regression models were used to quantify the relationship between acceleration and both maximum crush depth and crush volume. The cadaver heads generated larger peak accelerations than all three headforms, larger HICs than the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), larger forces than the Hybrid III and ISO, larger maximum crush depth than the ISO, and larger crush volumes than the DOT. These significant differences between the cadaver heads and headforms need to be accounted for when attempting to estimate an impact exposure using a helmet’s residual crush depth or volume.     

Development of a Metric for Predicting Brain Strain Responses Using Head Kinematics

Diffuse brain injuries are caused by excessive brain deformation generated primarily by rapid rotational head motion. Metrics that describe the severity of brain injury based on head motion often do not represent the governing physics of brain deformation, rendering them ineffective over a broad range of head impact conditions. This study develops a brain injury metric based on the response of a second-order mechanical system, and relates rotational head kinematics to strain-based brain injury metrics: maximum principal strain (MPS) and cumulative strain damage measure (CSDM). This new metric, universal brain injury criterion (UBrIC), is applicable over a broad range of kinematics encountered in automotive crash and sports. Efficacy of UBrIC was demonstrated by comparing it to MPS and CSDM predicted in 1600 head impacts using two different finite element (FE) brain models. Relative to existing metrics, UBrIC had the highest correlation with the FE models, and performed better in most impact conditions. While UBrIC provides a reliable measurement for brain injury assessment in a broad range of head impact conditions, and can inform helmet and countermeasure design, an injury risk function was not incorporated into its current formulation until validated strain-based risk functions can be developed and verified against human injury data.     

Effects of head size and morphology on dynamic responses to impact loading

Head responses subjected to impact loading are studied using the finite element method. The dynamic responses of the stress, strain, strain energy density and the intracranial pressure govern the intracranial tissues and skull material failures, and therefore, the traumatic injuries. The objectivity and consistency of the prevailing head traumatic injury criteria, i.e., the energy absorption, the gravity centre acceleration and the head injury criterion (HIC), are examined with regard to the head dynamic responses. In particular, the structural intensity (STI) (the vector representation of energy flow rate) is calculated and discussed. From the simulations, the STI, instead of the gravity centre acceleration, the HIC and the energy absorption criteria, is found to be consistent with the dynamic response quantities. The different local skull curvatures at impact have a marginal effect whereas the locations of the impact loadings have significant effects on the dynamics responses or the head injury. The STI also shows the failure patterns.     

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Predictors Based on Angular Accelerations During Impacts

Although Head Injury Criterion (HIC) is an effective criterion for head injuries caused by linear acceleration such as skull fractures, no criteria for head injuries caused by rotational kinematics has been accepted as effective so far. This study proposed two criteria based on angular accelerations for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which we call Rotational Injury Criterion (RIC) and Power Rotational Head Injury Criterion (PRHIC). Concussive and non-concussive head acceleration data obtained from football head impacts were utilized to develop new injury criteria. A well-validated human brain Finite Element (FE) model was employed to find out effective injury criteria for TBI. Correlation analyses were performed between the proposed criteria and FE-based brain injury predictors such as Cumulative Strain Damage Measure (CSDM), which is defined as the percent volume of the brain that exceeds a specified first principal strain threshold, proposed to predict Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) which is one of TBI. The RIC was significantly correlated with the CSDMs with the strain thresholds of less than 15% (R > 0.89), which might predict mild TBI. In addition, PRHIC was also strongly correlated with the CSDMs with the strain thresholds equal to or greater than 20% (R > 0.90), which might predict more severe TBI.     

基于有限元仿真和遗传神经网络的轿车-行人事故重构

目的为充分利用轿车-行人碰撞中行人损伤信息对事故过程进行重构,提出采用有限元仿真和遗传神经网络逆向推导轿车-行人事故中碰撞参数的新方法。方法利用Hyperworks和LS-DYNA软件进行不同碰撞速度(25、40、55 km/h)和接触角度(背面、左侧、正面、右侧)的碰撞仿真,获取行人头部伤害指标(head injury criterion,HIC)和胸壁最大运动速度。根据损伤生物力学判据分析行人头部及胸部的损伤程度,并以行人头部和胸部损伤程度以及位置信息作为预测变量,采用遗传神经网络求取碰撞参数的预测值。最后利用两起具有确切碰撞参数的轿车-行人视频案例对该方法进行验证。结果两起视频案例中轿车碰撞行人速度分别为54、49 km/h,行人接触轿车角度均为180°。根据行人损伤信息得到轿车碰撞行人速度的预测值分别为51、43 km/h,行人接触轿车角度的预测值分别为184°和169°,两起事故重构准确度分别为0.94和0.88。结论利用行人损伤信息可以准确有效地对轿车-行人事故中的碰撞参数进行预测,既能为轿车-行人交通事故成因分析及责任认定提供新的方法,也为进一步提高轿车-行人碰撞中行人头部及胸部损伤的防治效果提供了理论依据。     

A tissue-level anisotropic criterion for brain injury based on microstructural axonal deformation

Different length scales from micrometers to several decimeters play an important role in diffuse axonal injury. The kinematics at the head level result in local impairments at the cellular level. Finite element methods can be used for predicting brain injury caused by a mechanical loading of the head. Because of its oriented microstructure, the sensitivity of brain tissue to a mechanical load can be expected to be orientation dependent. However, the criteria for injury that are currently used at the tissue level in finite element head models are isotropic and therefore do not consider this orientation dependence, which might inhibit a reliable assessment of injury. In this study, an anisotropic brain injury criterion is developed that is able to describe the effects of the oriented microstructure based on micromechanical simulations. The effects of both the main axonal direction and of local deviations from this direction are accounted for. With the anisotropic criterion for brain injury, computational head models will be able to account for aspects of diffuse axonal injury at the cellular level and can therefore more reliably predict injury.     

Influence of wet surfaces and fall height on pediatric injury risk in feet-first freefalls as predicted using a test dummy

INTRODUCTION: Falls are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children, but are also reported falsely in child abuse. Therefore, it is of interest to understand those factors which may lead to a higher likelihood of injury in a feet-first freefall. METHODS: We used laboratory freefall experiments and a 3-year-old Hybrid III anthropomorphic test dummy (ATD) to assess head and femur injury risk. Wet and dry linoleum impact surfaces were used from three fall heights: 22, 35 and 47 in. RESULTS: For a given fall height, dry surfaces were associated with higher head injury criteria (HIC) values than wet surfaces. Changes in fall height 22-47 in. did not significantly affect HIC values for falls onto either surface. Generally, compressive and bending femur loading increased significantly for wet as compared to dry linoleum. CONCLUSIONS: In simulated feet first freefall experiments up to 47 in. using a 3-year-old test dummy, a low risk of contact type head injury and femur fracture was found. However, both fall height and surface conditions influenced femur loading and head injury measures. Future efforts should explore the risk of head injury associated with angular acceleration in freefalls.     

Impact Performance of Modern Football Helmets

Linear impact tests were conducted on 17 modern football helmets. The helmets were placed on the Hybrid III head with the neck attached to a sliding table. The head was instrumented with an array of 3-2-2-2 accelerometers to determine translational acceleration, rotational acceleration, and HIC. Twenty-three (23) different impacts were conducted on four identical helmets of each model at eight sites on the shell and facemask, four speeds (5.5, 7.4, 9.3, and 11.2 m/s) and two temperatures (22.2 and 37.8 °C). There were 1,850 tests in total; 276 established the 1990s helmet performance (baseline) and 1,564 were on the 17 different helmet models. Differences from the 1990s baseline were evaluated using the Student t test (p < 0.05 as significant). Four of the helmets had significantly lower HICs and head accelerations than the 1990s baseline with average reductions of 14.6–21.9% in HIC, 7.3–14.0% in translational acceleration, and 8.4–15.9% in rotational acceleration. Four other helmets showed some improvements. Eight were not statistically different from the 1990s baseline and one had significantly poorer performance. Of the 17 helmet models, four provided a significant reduction in head responses compared to 1990s helmets.     

Finite-element models of the human head

A review is presented of the existing finite-element (FE) models for the biomechanics of human head injury. Finite element analysis can be an important tool in describing the injury biomechanics of the human head. Complex geometric and material properties pose challenges to FE modelling. Various assumptions and simplifications are made in model development that require experimental validation. More recent models incorporate anatomic details with higher precision. The cervical vertebral column and spinal cord are included. Model results have been more qualitative than quantitative owing to the lack of adequate experimental validation. Advances include transient stress distribution in the brain tissue, frequency responses, effects of boundary conditions, pressure release mechanism of the foramen magnum and the spinal cord, verification of rotation and cavitation theories of brain injury, and protective effects of helmets. These theoretical results provide a basic understanding of the internal biomechanical responses of the head under various dynamic loading conditions. Basic experimental research is still needed to determine more accurate material properties and injury tolerance criteria, so that FE models can fully exercise their analytical and predictive power for the study and prevention of human head injury.