Browse Topic: Injuries
ABSTRACT This paper reviews the Army Generic Hull [1-5] as a vital developmental tool for underbody blast modeling and simulation applications. Since 2010, it has been used extensively to help calibrate and validate various numerical software codes and methodologies. These are being used extensively today in the development of underbody armor, as well as mine blast subsystems such as seats, to protect both military vehicles and their occupants. In the absence of easily shareable information in this domain due to data classification, this specially formulated product is a valuable part of any toolset for underbody blast development and product design. Citation: K. Kulkarni, S. Kankanalapalli, V. Babu, J. Ramalingam, R. Thyagarajan, “The Army Generic Hull As A Vital Developmental Tool For Underbody Blast Applications,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022
ABSTRACT TARDEC researched head impact protective, energy attenuating materials for use in U.S. Army Ground System Vehicle (GSV) applications. The purpose of the project is to reduce potential head impact related mounted crew injuries and deaths which may occur during underbody blast, crash and rollover events. Commercial-off-the-shelf materials were evaluated for their energy attenuating performance. Exposed surface materials in combination with core material were also researched and evaluated. Baseline vehicle testing was conducted to understand the current head impact criterion. The results of this effort identified solutions which may potentially meet the needs of the Army to reduce head impact related injuries which may occur during crash, rollover and blast events. TARDEC used the knowledge gained from this project to create performance specification requirements for interior head impact protective components and materials for use in U.S. Army vehicles
Summary Combat vehicle designers have made great progress in improving crew survivability against large blast mines and improvised explosive devices. Current vehicles are very resistant to hull failure from large blasts, protecting the crew from overpressure and behind armor debris. However, the crew is still vulnerable to shock injuries arising from the blast and its after-effects. One of these injury modes is spinal compression resulting from the shock loading of the crew seat. This can be ameliorated by installing energy-absorbing seats which reduce the intensity of the spinal loading, while spreading it out over a longer time. The key question associated with energy-absorbing seats has to do with the effect of various factors associated with the design on spinal compression and injury. These include the stiffness and stroking distance of the seat’s energy absorption mechanism, the size of the blast, the vehicle shape and mass, and the weight of the seat occupant. All of these
Rear-end vehicle collisions may lead to whiplash-associated disorders (WADs), comprising a variety of neck and head pain responses. Specifically, increased axial head rotation has been associated with the risk of injuries during rear impacts, while specific tissues, including the capsular ligaments, have been implicated in pain response. Given the limited experimental data for out-of-position rear impact scenarios, computational human body models (HBMs) can inform the potential for tissue-level injury. Previous studies have considered external boundary conditions to reposition the head axially but were limited in reproducing a biofidelic movement. The objectives of this study were to implement a novel head repositioning method to achieve targeted axial rotations and evaluate the tissue-level response for a rear impact condition. The repositioning method used reference geometries to rotate the head to three target positions, showing good correspondence to reported interverbal rotations
Pelvic orientation in vehicles is crucial for preventing injuries and creating safer vehicles and restraint systems. A better understanding of pelvic orientation could provide more accurate anthropomorphic test device (ATD) models of underrepresented populations such as obese individuals, children, and small females. Sonomicrometry is the use of piezoelectric transducers that transmit ultrasound signals to each other to measure the distance between them. These signals may be aggregated using triangulation. In this experiment, ultrasound crystals were secured to the surface of a porcine surrogate to evaluate pelvic movement. This data was then processed using Sonometrics software to generate a 3D model of four static positions and three dynamic tests. The test was validated using a camera and a 3D measurement arm (CMM) to validate XYZ positions. This article discusses how this method could be helpful for developing more accurate ATD models, preventing fatalities in vehicle crashes
Thorax injuries are a significant cause of mortality in automotive crashes, with varying susceptibility across sex and age demographics. Finite element (FE) human body models (HBMs) offer the potential for injury outcome analysis by incorporating anthropometric variations. Recent advancements in material constitutive models, cortical bone fracture and continuum damage mechanics model (CFraC) and an orthotropic trabecular bone model (OrthoT), offer the opportunity to further improve rib models. In this study, the CFraC and OrthoT material modes, coupled with age-specific material properties, were progressively implemented to the Global Human Body Model Consortium small female 6th rib. Four distinct 6th rib models were developed and compared against sex and age-specific experimental data. The updated material models notably refined the predictions of force–displacement responses, aligning them more closely with the experimental averages. The CFraC model significantly improved the
Letter from the Focus Issue Editors
Ongoing research in simulated vehicle crash environments utilizes postmortem human subjects (PMHS) as the closest approximation to live human response. Lumbar spine injuries are common in vehicle crashes, necessitating accurate assessment methods of lumbar loads. This study evaluates the effectiveness of lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) pressure sensors in detecting various loading conditions on component PMHS lumbar spines, aiming to develop a reliable insertion method and assess sensor performance under different loading scenarios. The pressure sensor insertion method development involved selecting a suitable sensor, using a customized needle-insertion technique, and precisely placing sensors into the center of lumbar IVDs. Computed tomography (CT) scans were utilized to determine insertion depth and location, ensuring minimal tissue disruption during sensor insertion. Tests were conducted on PMHS lumbar spines using a robotic test system for controlled loading in flexion
Road safety remains a critical concern globally, with millions of lives lost annually due to road accidents. In India alone, the year 2021 witnessed over 4,12,432 road accidents resulting in 1,53,972 fatalities and 3,84,448 injuries. The age group most affected by these accidents is 18-45 years, constituting approximately 67% of total deaths. Factors such as speeding, distracted driving, and neglect to use safety gear increases the severity of these incidents. This paper presents a novel approach to address these challenges by introducing a driver safety system aimed at promoting good driving etiquette and mitigating distractions and fatigue. Leveraging Raspberry Pi and computer vision techniques, the system monitors driver behavior in real-time, including head position, eye blinks, mouth opening and closing, hand position, and internal audio levels to detect signs of distraction and drowsiness. The system operates in both passive and active modes, providing alerts and alarms to the
Communicating when traumatic brain injury, stroke, or disease has made speech impossible can be daunting. But specialized eye-tracking technology uses eye movement to enable people living with disabilities to connect one-on-one, over the phone, or via the internet
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
Researchers at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed the Portable Knee Dynamometer, a device that enables quadricep and hamstring strength assessment, rehabilitation, and exercise capabilities for a user outside of a traditional clinical setting. Clinical orthopedic dynamometers for high-strength muscle groups tend to be large, heavy, and typically not readily transportable. NASA’s novel device can be easily carried to a patient who may be homebound or otherwise unable to travel to a clinic due to surgery, injury, or pathology
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an exosome-coated stent with a “smart-release” trigger that could both prevent reopened blood vessels from narrowing and deliver regenerative stem cell-derived therapy to blood-starved, or ischemic, tissue
With the current trend of including the evaluation of the risk of brain injuries in vehicle crashes due to rotational kinematics of the head, two injury criteria have been introduced since 2013 – BrIC and DAMAGE. BrIC was developed by NHTSA in 2013 and was suggested for inclusion in the US NCAP for frontal and side crashes. DAMAGE has been developed by UVa under the sponsorship of JAMA and JARI and has been accepted tentatively by the EuroNCAP. Although BrIC in US crash testing is known and reported, DAMAGE in tests of the US fleet is relatively unknown. The current paper will report on DAMAGE in NCAP-like tests and potential future frontal crash tests involving substantial rotation about the three axes of occupant heads. Distribution of DAMAGE of three-point belted occupants without airbags will also be discussed. Prediction of brain injury risks from the tests have been compared to the risks in the real world. Although DAMAGE correlates well with MPS in the human brain model across
This study was conducted to assess the occupant restraint use and injury risks by seating position. The results were used to discuss the merit of selected warning systems. The 1989-2015 NASS-CDS and 2017-2021 CISS data were analyzed for light vehicles in all, frontal and rear tow-away crashes. The differences in serious injury risk (MAIS 3+F) were determined for front and rear seating positions, including the right, middle and left second-row seats. Occupancy and restraint use were determined by model year groups. Occupancy relative to the driver was 27% in the right-front (RF) and 17% in the second row in all crashes. About 39% of second-row passengers were in the left seat, 15% in the center seat and 47% in the right seat. Restraint use was lower in the second row compared to front seats. It was 43% in the right-front and 32% in the second-row seats in all crashes involving serious injury. Restraint use increased with model year groups. It was 63% in the ‘61-‘89 MY vehicles and 90
Background: The Indian automobile industry, including the auto component industry, is a significant part of the country’s economy and has experienced growth over the years. India is now the world’s 3rd largest passenger car market and the world’s second-largest two-wheeler market. Along with the boon, the bane of road accident fatalities is also a reality that needs urgent attention, as per a study titled ‘Estimation of Socio-Economic Loss due to Road Traffic Accidents in India’, the socio-economic loss due to road accidents is estimated to be around 0.55% to 1.35% of India’s GDP [27] Ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) accident data shows that the total number of fatalities on the road are the highest (in number terms) in the world. Though passenger car occupant fatalities have decreased over the years, the fatalities of vulnerable road users are showing an increasing trend. India has committed to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2030. In this context, the automotive
Hood insulators are widely used in automotive industry to improve noise insulation, pedestrian impact protection and to provide aesthetic appeal. They are attached below the hood panel and are often complex in shape and size. Pedestrian head impacts are highly dynamic events with a compressive strain rate experienced by the insulator exceeding 300/s. The energy generated by the impact is partly absorbed by the hood insulators thus reducing the head injury to the pedestrian. During this process, the insulator experiences multi-axial stress states. The insulators are usually made of soft multi-layered materials, such as polyurethane or fiberglass, and have a thin scrim layer on either side. These materials are foamed to their nominal thickness and are compression molded to take the required shape of the hood. During this process they undergo thickness reduction, thereby increasing their density. Hence, the material properties vary greatly based on the thickness and strain rate
Tubing for wound draining is an essential medical component used to manage the drainage of fluids from surgical or traumatic wounds. This tubing is commonly employed after surgical procedures to facilitate the removal of excess fluids (such as blood or serous fluid) from the wound site, or in traumatic Injuries where there is a need to control and remove fluids to aid in the healing process. Other uses include draining abscesses or fluid collections, helping to prevent infection, and promote faster healing, or to manage fluid accumulation in body cavities, preventing complications like seromas or hematomas. By removing excess fluids, tubing promotes a cleaner wound environment, which is conducive to faster healing
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