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Citation |
Weisenbach CA, Logsdon K, Salzar RS, Chancey VC, Brozoski F. Mil. Med. 2018; 183(Suppl 1): 287-293. |
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Affiliation |
Injury Biomechanics Division, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, 6901 Farrel Road, Fort Rucker, AL 36362. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2018, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
29635601 |
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Abstract |
Military combat helmets protect the wearer from a variety of battlefield threats, including projectiles. Helmet back-face deformation (BFD) is the result of the helmet defeating a projectile and deforming inward. Back-face deformation can result in localized blunt impacts to the head. A method was developed to investigate skull injury due to BFD behind-armor blunt trauma. A representative impactor was designed from the BFD profiles of modern combat helmets subjected to ballistic impacts. Three post-mortem human subject head specimens were each impacted using the representative impactor at three anatomical regions (frontal bone, right/left temporo-parietal regions) using a pneumatic projectile launcher. Thirty-six impacts were conducted at energy levels between 5 J and 25 J. Fractures were detected in two specimens. Two of the specimens experienced temporo-parietal fractures while the third specimen experienced no fractures. Biomechanical metrics, including impactor acceleration, were obtained for all tests. The work presented herein describes initial research utilizing a test method enabling the collection of dynamic exposure and biomechanical response data for the skull at the BFD-head interface. Language: en |