Citation

Tamura A, Nakahira Y, Iwamoto M, Watanabe I, Miki K, Hayashi S, Kitagawa Y, Yasuki T. Int. J. Crashworthiness 2008; 13(4): 375-385.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13588260802030497

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We developed a 50th-percentile American male pedestrian model including a detailed brain, and the mechanical responses and kinematic biofidelity predicted by this model were validated against the available cadaveric test data. Vehicle-to-pedestrian impact simulations were then performed to investigate a potential mechanism for traumatic brain injury resulting from a lateral blunt impact to the head. Due to inertia of the brain mass, it was found that the average traction force produced in the cervical spinal cord exceeded 50 N in the impact involving a sport utility vehicle and 25 N in the impact involving a sedan, when the striking vehicle was travelling at 40 km/h. This inertial loading may play a key role in a brainstem, or upper-cervical-cord, lesion occurring before head strike. Results of this study suggest that close attention should be paid to pedestrian kinematics during free flight even before the head makes primary contact with the striking vehicle.