A destructible headform for the assessment of sports impacts

2021 ◽  
pp. 175433712110559
Author(s):  
Ben Stone ◽  
Sean Mitchell ◽  
Yusuke Miyazaki ◽  
Nicholas Peirce ◽  
Andy Harland
Keyword(s):  
Human Subjects ◽  
Permanent Deformation ◽  
Human Head ◽  
Local Deformation ◽  
Resonance Excitation ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Resonance Frequencies ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Athletic Equipment

Commercially available headforms, such as the Hybrid-III and EN 960 headforms, have been used effectively to investigate the mechanics of head impacts. These headforms may result in accelerations that are unrepresentative of a human head in some impact scenarios. This may be important when considering impacts that produce areas of high pressure, since skull deformation and resonance excitation may influence the dynamic response. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) headform may produce a more suitable response during these types of impacts due to the more representative skull component. However, permanent deformation may occur in some unprotected impact scenarios, resulting in the entire headform needing to be replaced. This paper outlines the development of a novel, modular and destructible headform (LU headform) that can be used in potentially destructive testing, where individual components can be replaced. The LU headform was modelled after a UK 50th percentile male. The inertial properties of the LU headform were within 6% of those observed in humans. The skull simulant properties were within the range of values reported for human tissue in two build orientations, but lower in one build orientation. The lowest and highest resonance frequencies observed in the headform model were within 5% of those observed in humans. Drop and projectile tests were conducted in line with previous cadaver tests with the observed accelerations within the range reported for post-mortem human subjects. The LU headform offers a practical means of simulating head dynamics during localised unprotected impacts or in protected impacts where local deformation and/or resonance frequency excitation remains possible.

Head Impact Modeling to Support a Rotational Combat Helmet Drop Test

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Terpsma ◽  
Rika Wright Carlsen ◽  
Ron Szalkowski ◽  
Sushant Malave ◽  
Alice Lux Fawzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Head ◽  
Mechanical Stimulus ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Drop Test ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Brain Deformation ◽  
Acceleration Time Histories ◽  
Hybrid Iii

ABSTRACT Introduction The Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) military specification (mil-spec) provides blunt impact acceleration criteria that must be met before use by the U.S. warfighter. The specification, which requires a helmeted magnesium Department of Transportation (DOT) headform to be dropped onto a steel hemispherical target, results in a translational headform impact response. Relative to translations, rotations of the head generate higher brain tissue strains. Excessive strain has been implicated as a mechanical stimulus leading to traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that the linear constrained drop test method of the ACH specification underreports the potential for TBI. Materials and Methods To establish a baseline of translational acceleration time histories, we conducted linear constrained drop tests based on the ACH specification and then performed simulations of the same to verify agreement between experiment and simulation. We then produced a high-fidelity human head digital twin and verified that biological tissue responses matched experimental results. Next, we altered the ACH experimental configuration to use a helmeted Hybrid III headform, a freefall cradle, and an inclined anvil target. This new, modified configuration allowed both a translational and a rotational headform response. We applied this experimental rotation response to the skull of our human digital twin and compared brain deformation relative to the translational baseline. Results The modified configuration produced brain strains that were 4.3 times the brain strains from the linear constrained configuration. Conclusions We provide a scientific basis to motivate revision of the ACH mil-spec to include a rotational component, which would enhance the test’s relevance to TBI arising from severe head impacts.

scholarly journals Development of a Methodology for Simulating Complex Head Impacts With the Advanced Combat Helmet

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 237-244
Author(s):  
Mark Begonia ◽  
Tyler Rooks ◽  
Frank A Pintar ◽  
Narayan Yoganandan
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Complex Loading ◽  
Free Fall ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Computational Results ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Blunt Impact ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Athletic Equipment ◽  
Diffuse Brain

Abstract Blunt impact assessment of the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) is currently based on the linear head response. The current study presents a methodology for testing the ACH under complex loading that generates linear and rotational head motion. Experiments were performed on a guided, free-fall drop tower using an instrumented National Operating Committee for Standards on Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) head attached to a Hybrid III (HIII) or EuroSID-2 (ES-2) dummy neck and carriage. Rear and lateral impacts occurred at 3.0 m/s with peak linear accelerations (PLA) and peak rotational accelerations (PRA) measured at the NOCSAE head center-of-gravity. Experimental data served as inputs for the Simulated Injury Monitor (SIMon) computational model to estimate brain strain. Rear ACH impacts had 22% and 7% higher PLA and PRA when using the HIII neck versus the ES-2 neck. Lateral ACH impacts had 33% and 35% lower PLA and PRA when using HIII neck versus the ES-2 neck. Computational results showed that total estimated brain strain increased by 25% and 76% under rear and lateral ACH impacts when using the ES-2 neck. This methodology was developed to simulate complex ACH impacts involving the rotational head motion associated with diffuse brain injuries, including concussion, in military environments.

scholarly journals Analysis of HIC and Hydrostatic Pressure in the Human Head during NOCSAE Tests of American Football Helmets

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 287
Author(s):  
Mateusz Dymek ◽  
Mariusz Ptak ◽  
Monika Ratajczak ◽  
Fábio A. O. Fernandes ◽  
Artur Kwiatkowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Head ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
American Football ◽  
Head Model ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Social Burden ◽  
Direct Head ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Football Helmets ◽  
Head Injury Criteria

Brain damage is a serious economic and social burden. Contact sports such as American football, are one of the most common sources of concussions. The biomechanical response of the head–helmet system caused by dynamic loading plays a major role. The literature has focused on measuring the resultant kinematics that act on the head and helmet during tackles. However, few studies have focused on helmet validation tests, supported by recent findings and emerging numerical approaches. The future of helmet standards could benefit from insights at the level of injury mechanisms, using numerical tools to assess the helmets. Therefore, in this work, a numerical approach is employed to investigate the influence of intracranial pressure (ICP) on brain pathophysiology during and after helmeted impacts, which are common in American football. The helmeted impacts were performed at several impact locations according to the NOCSAE standard (configurations A, AP, B, C, D, F, R, UT). In order to evaluate the ICP levels, the αHEAD finite element head and brain model was combined with a Hybrid III-neck structure and then coupled with an American football helmet to simulate the NOCSAE impacts. In addition, the ICP level was analyzed together with the resulting HIC value, since the latter is commonly used, in this application and others, as the injury criterion. The obtained results indicate that ICP values exceed the common threshold of head injury criteria and do not correlate with HIC values. Thus, this work raises concern about applying the HIC to predict brain injury in American football direct head impacts, since it does not correlate with ICP predicted with the FE head model.

scholarly journals Developing Brain-Strain-Based Scaling to Inform the Clinical Relevance of Mouse Models of Concussion Induced by Rotation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Liu ◽  
Lihong Lu ◽  
Kewei Bian ◽  
Arthur Brown ◽  
Haojie Mao
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Real World ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Neuronal Damage ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Human Head ◽  
Axial Rotation ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Flexion Extension ◽  
Human And Mouse

Abstract Background Laboratory animal experiments are an invaluable tool for studying mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion. Among them, rodent neurotrauma experiments have been most widely used, as transgenic and gene targeting technologies in mice allow us to test the roles of different genes in recovery from brain injury. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of rodent concussion studies can be improved by using these technologies to study concussions in animals that carry the human versions of genes known to play a role in neurological disease. However, delivering concussion injuries to the mice that are relevant to real-world human head impacts is challenging, as the mouse and human heads are dramatically different in shape and size. In the vast majority of mouse concussion experiments, the pathological and behavioral consequences of the injuries are evaluated without considering whether the injury model produces brain stretches (maximum principal strains) of the same magnitude as those experienced by human brains undergoing similar impacts. Methods We conducted a total of 201 computational simulations to understand both human and mouse brain strains that are directly linked to neuronal damage during closed-head concussive impacts. To represent real-world human head impacts we simulated mouse head impacts with durations of 1.5 ms (Type 1 scaling), followed by simulations with durations between 1 and 2 ms (Type 2), and finally, simulations with durations from 0.75 to 4.5 ms (Type 3) to develop scaling between human and mouse, as well as to reveal the predicted effects of small and large changes in impact durations on brain strain. Results Guided by these simulations we calculated that peak rotational velocities in mice could be achieved by scaling human peak rotational velocities with factors of 5.8, 4.6, and 6.8, for flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, respectively, to reach equal brain strains between human and mouse. The effects of impact durations on scaling were also calculated and longer-duration mouse head impacts needed larger scaling factors to reach equal strain. Conclusions The scaling method will help us to create brain injury in the mouse with brain strain loading equivalent to those experienced in real-world human head impacts.

Finite-Element-Based Transfer Equations: Post-Mortem Human Subjects versus Hybrid III Test Dummy in Blunt Impact

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raed E. El-jawahri ◽  
Tony R. Laituri ◽  
Agnes S. Kim ◽  
Stephen W. Rouhana ◽  
Para V. Weerappuli
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Blunt Impact ◽  
Transfer Equations ◽  
Hybrid Iii

The Influence of Neck Stiffness on Head Kinematics and Maximum Principal Strain Associated With Youth American Football Collisions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Janie Cournoyer ◽  
David Koncan ◽  
Michael D. Gilchrist ◽  
T. Blaine Hoshizaki
Keyword(s):  
American Football ◽  
Principal Strain ◽  
Neck Stiffness ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Head Kinematics ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Maximum Principal Strain ◽  
Direct Head ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Neck Strength

Understanding the relationship between head mass and neck stiffness during direct head impacts is especially concerning in youth sports where athletes have higher proportional head mass to neck strength. This study compared 2 neck stiffness conditions for peak linear and rotational acceleration and brain tissue deformations across 3 impact velocities, 3 impact locations, and 2 striking masses. A pendulum fitted with a nylon cap was used to impact a fifth percentile hybrid III headform equipped with 9 accelerometers and fitted with a youth American football helmet. The 2 neck stiffness conditions consisted of a neckform with and without resistance in 3 planes, representing the upper trapezius, the splenius capitis, and the sternocleidomastoid muscles. Increased neck stiffness resulted in significant changes in head kinematics and maximum principal strain specific to impact velocity, impact location, and striking mass.

Experimental investigation of cranial fracture initiation in blunt human head impacts

2019 ◽  
Vol 300 ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariyam I. Isa ◽  
Todd W. Fenton ◽  
Alexis C. Goots ◽  
Elena O. Watson ◽  
Patrick E. Vaughan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Human Head ◽  
Fracture Initiation ◽  
Head Impacts

Laboratory Evaluation of Low-Cost Wearable Sensors for Measuring Head Impacts in Sports

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail M. Tyson ◽  
Stefan M. Duma ◽  
Steven Rowson
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Sampling Rate ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Laboratory Evaluation ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Hybrid Iii

Advances in low-cost wearable head impact sensor technology provide potential benefits regarding sports safety for both consumers and researchers. However, previous laboratory evaluations are not directly comparable and do not incorporate test conditions representative of unhelmeted impacts. This study addresses those limitations. The xPatch by X2 Biosystems and the SIM-G by Triax Technologies were placed on a National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) headform with a Hybrid III neck which underwent impact tests using a pendulum. Impact conditions included helmeted, padded impactor to bare head, and rigid impactor to bare head to represent long- and short-duration impacts seen in helmeted and unhelmeted sports. The wearable sensors were evaluated on their kinematic accuracy by comparing results to reference sensors located at the headform center of gravity. Statistical tests for equivalence were performed on the slope of the linear regression between wearable sensors and reference. The xPatch gave equivalent measurements to the reference in select longer-duration impacts, whereas the SIM-G had large variance leading to no equivalence. For the short-duration impacts, both wearable sensors underpredicted the reference. This error can be improved with increases in sampling rate from 1 to 1.5 kHz. Follow-up evaluations should be performed on the field to identify error in vivo.

Experimental Investigation of Forced Convection Enhancement by Acoustic Resonance Excitations in Turbulated Heat Exchangers

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Gendebien ◽  
Alex Kleiman ◽  
Boris Leizeronok ◽  
Beni Cukurel
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Forced Convection ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Excitation ◽  
Minimal Form ◽  
Resonance Frequencies ◽  
Double Pipe ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present research deals with enhancing the thermal performance of turbulated heat exchangers through the application of sound pressure waves at acoustic resonance frequencies. Extending the findings of prior wind tunnel studies, where a standing wave greatly improved the forced convection in reattaching flows, this paper exploits such a phenomenon in a practical heat exchanger setting. The current experiments are conducted in representative turbulated plate and double-pipe heat exchanger geometries, mounted in a dedicated facility. After identifying the inherent acoustic resonance frequencies of the passageways, the impact of excitation is studied in various sound pressure levels, blockage ratios, as well as Strouhal and Reynolds numbers. The acoustic resonance excitation resulted in heat transfer enhancement of 20% and 10% in the plate and double-pipe designs, respectively, absence of additional pressure penalties. To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first demonstration of acoustic forced convection enhancement in turbulated heat exchanger geometries. Such a technology can pave the way toward future designs that require low-pressure losses, minimal form factor, and/or process controllability.

Experimental Investigation of Forced Convection Enhancement by Acoustic Resonance Excitations in Turbulated Heat Exchangers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gendebien ◽  
A. Kleiman ◽  
B. Leizeronok ◽  
B. Cukurel
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Forced Convection ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Excitation ◽  
Minimal Form ◽  
Resonance Frequencies ◽  
Double Pipe ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present research deals with enhancing thermal performance of turbulated heat exchangers through application of sound pressure waves at acoustic resonance frequencies. Extending the findings of prior wind tunnel studies, where a standing wave greatly improved the forced convection in reattaching flows, this paper exploits such a phenomenon in a practical heat exchanger setting. The current experiments are conducted in representative turbulated plate and double pipe heat exchanger geometries, mounted in a dedicated facility. After identifying the inherent acoustic resonance frequencies of the passageways, the impact of excitation is studied in various sound pressure levels, blockage ratios, as well as Strouhal and Reynolds numbers. The acoustic resonance excitation resulted in heat transfer enhancement of 20% and 10% in the plate and double pipe designs respectively, absent of additional pressure penalties. To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first demonstration of acoustic forced convection enhancement in turbulated heat exchanger geometries. Such a technology can pave the way towards future designs that require low pressure losses, minimal form factor and/or process controllability.

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