DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A HEAD-NECK FINITE ELEMENT MODEL FOR INJURY ANALYSIS

In this study, the digitized geometrical data of the embalmed skull and vertebrae (C1-C7) of a 68 year-old male cadaver were processed to develop a comprehensive, geometrically accurate, nonlinear CO-C7 FE model. The biomechanical response of human neck under near vertex drop impact conditions were investigated and compared with the published experimental data. The results show that the predicted resultant head impact force history and corresponding motions of each motion segment all agree well with pUblished data. The stress variation histories in the neck were found to be consistent with the rotational motions of the motion segments under dynamic loading. The current model may offer potential to effectively reflect the behavior of human cervical spine suitable for further biomechanics and traumatic studies