Finite element analysis of the dynamic response of the cardiovascular system to the blunt ballistic impact
Hai Liu1, Jing Chen1, Jian-yi Kang1, Xiao-xia Li1, Ivan Azhari2
COMPUTER MODELLING & NEW TECHNOLOGIES 2014 18(5) 44-49
1 State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
2 ACM Medical Health Equipment Design & Consultant Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
On the basis of the Chinese Visible Human Dataset (CVHD), a three-dimensional human finite element model that includes skin, muscle, bone, the lungs, the heart and the vascular trunk was developed. In the LS-DYNA software environment, a numerical simulation of the blunt ballistic impact, which was caused by a 5.56-mm rifle bullet moving with the speed of 910 m/s toward a human torso wearing a composite body armor vest, was performed, and the stress and pressure response of the cardiovascular system were calculated. The simulation results demonstrated that the blunt ballistic impact introduced a high-frequency pressure response on the chambers of heart, which was characterized by a high amplitude and short duration. The peak values of the pressure waves, measured at the ascending aorta and superior vena cava ports, were 659.3 kPa and 542.8 kPa respectively, which suggested that the blunt ballistic impact on the chest would result in injury to distant target organs through the cardiovascular system. The computational results of this model can provide a basis for predictions of heart injuries, in-depth studies of the mechanical mechanism of cardiovascular injuries to blunt ballistic impacts and further improvements in protective equipment.