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Advances in Biomechanics & Applications Volume 1, Number 4, December 2014, pages 253-267 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12989/aba.2015.1.4.253 |
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 open accessOn the properties of brain sub arachnoid space and biomechanics of head impacts leading to traumatic brain injury |
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Parisa Saboori and Ali Sadegh
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| Abstract | ||
| The human head is identified as the body region most frequently involved in life-threatening injuries. Extensive research based on experimental, analytical and numerical methods has sought to quantify the response of the human head to blunt impact in an attempt to explain the likely injury process. Blunt head impact arising from vehicular collisions, sporting injuries, and falls leads to relative motion between the brain and skull and an increase in contact and shear stresses in the meningeal region, thereby leading to traumatic brain injuries. In this paper the properties and material modeling of the subarachnoid space (SAS) as it relates to Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) is investigated. This was accomplished using a simplified local model and a validated 3D finite element model. First the material modeling of the trabeculae in the Subarachnoid Space (SAS) was investigated and validated, then the validated material property was used in a 3D head model. In addition, the strain in the brain due to an impact was investigated. From this work it was determined that the material property of the SAS is approximately E = 1150 Pa and that the strain in the brain, and thus the severity of TBI, is proportional to the applied impact velocity and is approximately a quadratic function. This study reveals that the choice of material behavior and properties of the SAS are significant factors in determining the strain in the brain and therefore the understanding of different types of head/brain injuries. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| brain; subarachnoid space properties; material modeling; impact; TBI | ||
| Address | ||
| Parisa Saboori: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Manhattan College, Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, New York, USA Ali Sadegh: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The City College of the City University of New York, 160 Convent Ave, New York, USA | ||
