Technical Paper
Thoracic Impact: New Experimental Approaches Leading to Model Synthesis
1973-02-01
730981
The following work was done in support of a continuing program to better characterize the behavior of the human chest during blunt sternal impact. Previous work on this problem has focused on determining the force-time, deflection-time, and force-deflection response of embalmed and fresh cadavers to impact by a 15 cm (6 in) diameter striker of variable mass traveling at velocities of 22.5-51 km/h (14-32 mph) and striking the sternum at the level of the fourth intercostal space. Additional questions persist concerning whether the anterior and posterior regions of the chest behave as highly damped masses or oscillate after impact, the relationship between force delivered to the surface of the body and the acceleration of the underlying regions, and the influence of air compressed in the lung on thoracic mechanics.
