Human Modeling Lab - Wayne State University

About
Advanced Human Modeling Lab / Biomedical Engineering — Bioengineering / Wayne State University
In 2000, injuries in the United States resulted in
149,000 fatalities with 50 million people required medical
attention. The leading cause of fatal injuries is motor
vehicle crashes. Presently, anthropomorphic test
devices (ATDs) are commonly used to evaluate vehicular
safety systems. Unfortunately, ATDs exhibit significant
deficiencies when predicting real world human
injuries. With the rapid advancement in computing technology,
we envision that human responses in activities
ranging from those of daily living to high-speed motor
vehicle crashes can be simulated quickly with accuracy.
The Advanced Human Modeling Laboratory of the
Bioengineering Center have developed detailed finite
element models of human body from head to toe since
the early 1990’s. These models have been validated
against existing
cadaveric data at
global and local
levels. The
model has been
used to predict
human responses
in various impact
environments to
further understand
injury mechanisms
and predict the risk of many specific injuries.
WSU Human Body Model
The WSU head injury model simulates all essential
anatomical features of the human head and face. The
model consists of a total of over 335,000 elements.
The model has been validated against intracranial pressure,
brain/skull relative displacement and facial impact
test data. The model is well suited for simulating a
range of dynamic loadings causing bony, soft tissue,
vascular and neural injuries.
The WSU neck model simulates all the bony structures, articular
surfaces, relevant ligaments and intervertebral discs.
The model has been validated against quasi-static loading,
near vertex drop and rear impact. The WSU thorax–shoulder
model includes a detailed description of the organs in the
chest, a finely meshed aortic structure and a detailed shoulder.
The model has been validated against frontal and lateral
impact and side airbag deployment tests. The WSU abdomen
model simulates both solid and hollow organs of the human
abdomen. The model has been validated against cadaveric
pendulum impact, drop test and seatbelt loading data. The
WSU lower limb model includes anatomical components
from hip to toe with detailed ankle and knee. The model has
been validated at the segmental and the full limb levels.
Injury Mechanisms
Traumatic brain injury: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading
cause of death and disability in the United States. Numerical
reconstruction of head impact occurred during the NFL
games provided a unique means to compare simulated brain
responses with physician determined signs and symptoms and
to investigate tissue-level mechanisms for concussive injury.
The results showed that strain and strain-rate responses in
specific regions of the brain and phases of the response correlate
with return to play, cognitive
and memory problems. These
correlations imply that FE models
and strain-related injury criteria
offer new insights into the timing of
concussion injuries and affected
locations. The helmet designed to
reduce strain effect after primary
impact would be an important new
focus for research.
Noninjury Concussion
Striking
Struck
Neck injury in rollover crash: In the United States,
rollover-related fatalities accounted for more than onethird
of all deaths from passenger vehicle
crashes. The neck model has been
used to investigate the injury mechanism
during rollover crashes. Different seat
belt designs as well as the roof interior
designs can be evaluated and optimized
during different rollover scenarios.
Aorta rupture in side impact: Traumatic rupture of
the aorta (TRA) is the second most common cause of
fatality in automotive crashes. The rate of TRA in nearside
crashes is twice that in frontal crashes. The aortic
tears are commonly found in the peri-isthmic region
and nearly transverse to the longitudinal axis of the
aorta. By simulating the real world crash cases with
human model, injury mechanisms of the TRA is elucidated
and local aortic stress and strain patterns is
linked to the clinically
seen rupture.
Shoulder injury in side impact:
Previous studies have hypothesized
that engaging the shoulder
may reduce chest injury in side
impact. The shoulder model has been used to understand
the interaction between the shoulder and the
thorax. During side impact, the shoulder do appear to
uptake some of impact energy, however, the protection
of the acromio-clavicular joint is needed before shoulder
can provide protection to the ribcage.