In-Vitro Head and Neck Response to Impact

Abstract

Two unembalmed and one embalmed human cadaveric head-neck systems were instrumented and subjected to central forehead impact of ballistically suspended 3.07-kg aluminum shell at velocities ranging from 50 to 345 cm/s. Occipital skull accelerations and disk pressures were measured by transducers, while the deformation of the system was determined by framing camera data. The results were found to be in accord with those from corresponding tests in artifical head-neck replica. Initial and terminal X-ray examination of the structure revealed no evidence of either skull or vertebral fractures.