The University of Adelaide CENTRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY RESEARCH

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TitleMechanisms of brain injury related to mathematical modelling and epidemiological data
AuthorsWillinger R, Ryan GA, McLean AJ, Kopp CM
Year1994
TypeJournal Article
AbstractMeasurements of the frequency response of head impact points on the exterior and the interior of a car were used to characterize the dynamic behavior of the object that was struck. These points were then arranged in a hierarchy of increasing stiffness. Thirty-two cases in which the distribution of injury to the brain had been recorded were grouped according to the stiffness of the object struck and by the location of the impact on the head. The distribution of the brain lesions were determined for each class of stiffness and location of impact. Three probable mechanisms of brain injury were distinguished: relative motion between the brain and the skull, local bone deformation, and intracerebral stresses. Each mechanism was related to a range of stiffness and natural frequency of the structure impacted. These theories of brain injury mechanisms are consistent with observed epidemiological data and with conclusions drawn from mathematical modelling.
Journal TitleAccident Analysis & Prevention
Journal Volume (Issue)26(6)
Page Range767-799
Page Count14
NotesAvailable from CASR library on request

Reference
Willinger R, Ryan GA, McLean AJ, Kopp CM (1994). Mechanisms of brain injury related to mathematical modelling and epidemiological data. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 26(6), 767-799.