Computational Modeling of Stresses on Skin, Bone and Composite-Based Materials under Blast Loading
Student: Rebecca Graeter
Advisors: Vinu Unnikrishnan and Arnab Chanda
Soldiers on a battlefield or in combat often encounter blasts impacts or sudden high pressure impulses due to ballistics. To date, helmets and body armor used by the U.S. military are not designed to protect against such impacts, which may be considered to be one of the major causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and traumatic whole body injuries reported among soldiers. Recently, Unnikrishnan et al.[1] computationally modeled the mechanics of blast loading on the human skull in presence of nanocomposite based helmets, which were found to possess superior energy absorption characteristics. In the current work, relevant literature on blast impacts and TBI will be reviewed. Novel computational modeling techniques will be used to study the effect of blast impact on the human body and on the body with Kevlar®-based composite protection. Also, a human skull model (obtained from the open access visible human database) will be subjected to blast loading in future projects. The effect of blast loading on the skull will be estimated from this study.
[1] Jenson, Daniel, and Vinu U. Unnikrishnan. "Energy dissipation of nanocomposite based helmets for blast-induced traumatic brain injury mitigation." Composite structures 121 (2015): 211-216.
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