Biomechanical analysis of pediatric impact head injury: a 3-D finite element modeling approach

摘要

Infants and young children sustain head injury during falls and motor vehicle crashes. A better biomechanical understanding assists to mitigate the head injury in the pediatric population. A three-dimensional finite element model of an infant head was developed. The model included the cranial bone, sutures, fontanelles, brain and foramen magnum. The infant head was impacted with a stationary wall structure. Three types of walls &added and unpadded fiat walls, and unpadded cavity/edge wall) were used. The polypropylene and rigid materials were defined for the wall. Each analysis was conducted at an impact velocity of 6.7 and 8.9 m/sec. The cranial bone of the infant head sustained lower strain during the impact with the padded fiat wall. The strain in the cranial bone increased considerably when the padding was removed. A further increase in the strain was observed during the impact with the unpadded cavity/edge wall. While the strain in the cranial bone was diffused under the padded flat wall impact, it was more concentrated under the unpadded cavity/edge wall impact condition.