Recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in an increase in the number of blast related traumatic brain injuries (blast-TBI). It is assumed that the primary mechanism for blast-TBI is the interaction between the blast pressure wave and the central nervous system, but the details of this mechanism are poorly understood. The conditions of such blast injuries are highly variable, and the presence or absence of protective devices such as vehicles or helmets is presumed to have a strong influence on pressure waves. Because of the complexity of this problem and the difficulty of in situ measurement of these effects in actual combat scenarios, one approach is to develop efficient numerical simulations that have the fidelity to reliably model the interaction of the brain and the pressure and shear waves. Here we examine the distribution of pressures and principal strains (stretches) in a brain impinged upon by a blast wave incident from orthogonal directions as simulated by a finite element coupled fluid-solid dynamic interaction framework. We assess the various sources of errors in finite element simulations of wave propagating through tissue, the modeling error, the discretization error, and the error of input parameters (data uncertainty). We conclude that the least important source of error is the assumption of linear kinematics and linear constitutive equation. The discretization error is significant, and controlling it will remain a challenge. The most significant source of error is found to be the input parameter uncertainty (experimental variability) and lack of knowledge of the detailed mechanics of deformation of the brain tissues under conditions of blast loading.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: pkrysl@ucsd.edu
Article navigation
July 2012
Research Papers
On Sources of Error in Finite Element Simulations of Blast Effects in the Human Brain
Krysl Petr,
Krysl Petr
Department of Structural Engineering,Jacobs School of Engineering,
e-mail: pkrysl@ucsd.edu
University of California, San Diego
, La Jolla, CA 92093
Search for other works by this author on:
Mark W. Bondi,
Mark W. Bondi
Department of Psychiatry,
University of California
, San Diego,VA San Diego Healthcare System,La Jolla, CA 92093
Search for other works by this author on:
Samuel R. Ward,
Samuel R. Ward
Departments of Radiology,Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering,
University of California, San Diego
, La Jolla, CA 92093
Search for other works by this author on:
Lawrence R. Frank
Lawrence R. Frank
UCSD Center for Functional MRI,
University of California
, San Diego, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA 92093
Search for other works by this author on:
Krysl Petr
Department of Structural Engineering,Jacobs School of Engineering,
University of California, San Diego
, La Jolla, CA 92093e-mail: pkrysl@ucsd.edu
Mark W. Bondi
Department of Psychiatry,
University of California
, San Diego,VA San Diego Healthcare System,La Jolla, CA 92093
Samuel R. Ward
Departments of Radiology,Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering,
University of California, San Diego
, La Jolla, CA 92093
Lawrence R. Frank
UCSD Center for Functional MRI,
University of California
, San Diego, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA 92093J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam. Jul 2012, 7(3): 031008 (9 pages)
Published Online: April 4, 2012
Article history
Received:
June 22, 2011
Revised:
December 7, 2011
Published:
April 3, 2012
Online:
April 4, 2012
Citation
Petr, K., Bondi, M. W., Ward, S. R., and Frank, L. R. (April 4, 2012). "On Sources of Error in Finite Element Simulations of Blast Effects in the Human Brain." ASME. J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam. July 2012; 7(3): 031008. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4006143
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Minimizing Computational Time for Long-Term Three-Dimensional Dynamic Simulation of Stem Cell Adipogenesis
J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam (June 2025)
An Efficient Iterative Technique for Solving Fractional Diffusion-Wave Equations
J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam
Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Urban Air Mobility Aircraft with Gust Disturbance
J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam
Related Articles
Computational Modeling of Blunt Impact to Head and Correlation of Biomechanical Measures With Medical Images
ASME J of Medical Diagnostics (February,2020)
A First-Order Mechanical Device to Model Traumatized Craniovascular Biodynamics
J. Med. Devices (March,2007)
A Proposed Injury Threshold for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
J Biomech Eng (April,2004)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Brain Tissue Segmentation in MRI Images Using Random Forest Classifier and Gossip Based Neighborhood
International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, 3rd (ICCTD 2011)
Automatic Brain MRI Tumor Isolation in MRI Images Using Morphological Erosion Technique
Intelligent Engineering Systems through Artificial Neural Networks, Volume 20
Compressive Sensing Based Holographic Microwave Imaging
Electromagnetic Induction Imaging: Theory and Biomedical Applications