The Temporal and Spatial Deformation Response of a Brain Model in Inertial Loading 872200

Physical models of the skull-brain system have been subjected to controlled inertial loading experiments in which the deformation response of the surrogate brain was measured. The propose of this report is to present the results of these studies. Two types of models are examined herein; an idealized right circular cylinderical geometry and a baboon skull, sectioned in a midcoronal plane. The surrogate brain, consisting of an optically transparent silicone-gel, contains a painted grid of orthogonal lines with approximately 5mm spacing. The experimental data are presented in the form of nodal displacements and associated strains with one millisecond temporal resolution. The loading conditions are described by the rigid body accelerations of the skull or cylinder models. In each case the motion of the model is a noncentroidal rotation. The experimental results permit one to investigate the relations between the deformation and the acceleration magnitude and temporal characteristics. The model was primarily developed in order to estimate the strains experienced by the various tissue components within the brain, but it may also prove to be useful in addressing issues of scaling and in experimental validation of analytical or numerical simulations.