Forensic injury biomechanics.

Forensic injury biomechanics is the science that relates mechanical forces to disruption of anatomical regions of the human body. In this review, we introduce (a) how scaling techniques can be used to describe injury severity and probability of death; (b) how a simple ratio, the factor of risk, and more sophisticated injury risk functions can be used to determine the probability of injury; and (c) how injury criteria (also known as tolerance limits) are defined for the head and neck. Methods for establishing injury causation are then illustrated by real-world examples drawn from litigation involving motor vehicle collisions and slips, trips and falls.

All-reflective high fringe contrast autocorrelator for measurement of ultrabroadband optical pulses.

We describe an all-reflective interferometric autocorrelator designed to measure ultrabroadband optical pulses in the UV through IR spectral regions. By carefully choosing the device geometry we are able to obtain approximations for the nonlinear autocorrelation functions that reduce computation times to values acceptable for use in iterative pulse reconstruction schemes. We describe the optical design, autocorrelation functions, and present proof-of-principle experimental results measuring 20.

On the Development of the SIMon Finite Element Head Model.

The SIMon (Simulated Injury Monitor) software package is being developed to advance the interpretation of injury mechanisms based on kinematic and kinetic data measured in the advanced anthropomorphic test dummy (AATD) and applying the measured dummy response to the human mathematical models imbedded in SIMon. The human finite element head model (FEHM) within the SIMon environment is presented in this paper. Three-dimensional head kinematic data in the form of either a nine accelerometer array or three linear CG head accelerations combined with three angular velocities serves as an input to the model.

Computer modeling of airbag-induced ocular injury in pilots wearing night vision goggles.

Background: Airbags have saved lives in automobile crashes for many years and are now planned for use in helicopters. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for ocular injuries to helicopter pilots wearing night vision goggles when the airbag is deployed.

Methods: A nonlinear finite element model of the human eye was created.