Development of an FE Model of the Rat Head Subjected to Air Shock Loading

• DOI: 10.4271/2010-22-0011
• Publication Date: 2018-11-21T13:27:40Z
• Authors: Feng Zhu; Haojie Mao; Alessandra Dal Ce...; Christina Wagner; Clifford C. Chou; Xin Jin; Cynthia Bir; Pamela VandeVord; King H. Yang; Albert I. King
• Keywords: Overpressure

As early as the 1950's, Gurdjian and colleagues (Gurdjian et al. 1955) observed that brain injuries could occur by direct pressure loading without any global head accelerations. This pressure-induced injury mechanism was "forgotten" for some time is being rekindled due to many mild traumatic attributed blast overpressure. The aim of current study develop a finite element (FE) model predict biomechanical response rat under shock tube environment. model, including more than 530,000 hexahedral elements with typical size 100 300 microns developed based on previous simulating blunt controlled cortical impact. An FE which represents gas flow in 0.305-m diameter tube, formulated provide input (incident) overpressures model. It used an Eulerian approach predicted pressures were verified experimental data. These two models integrated arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) fluid-structure coupling algorithm then utilized simulate interaction wave head. model-predicted pressure-time histories at cortex lateral ventricle reasonable agreement those obtained experimentally. Further examination predictions revealed amplification, caused reflection interface materials distinct impedances, found skull. anterior posterior regions 50% higher vertex central regions, indicating possibility coup contrecoup sites. At incident 85 kPa, shear stress principal strain remained low level, implying they are not main causing scenario.