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Mechanical Characteristics of Steel

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The mechanical characteristics of steel are assessed through various tests that evaluate its strength, toughness, and flexibility. These tests include tension, torsion, impact, bending, and hardness assessments, each providing crucial information about steel's suitability for specific applications.
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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

A Test Bed to Examine Helmet Fit and Retention and Biomechanical Measures of Head and Neck Injury in Simulated Impact

A Test Bed to Examine Helmet Fit and Retention and Biomechanical Measures of Head and Neck Injury in Simulated Impact

Published on: September 21, 2017

Brain strains in vehicle impact tests.

Jiangyue Zhang¹, Narayan Yoganandan, Frank A Pintar

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Annual Proceedings. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine

|September 14, 2006

Summary

Rotational accelerations are the primary driver of brain strain injuries in car crashes, contributing over 80% of the damage. Translational accelerations play a minor role in these head injuries.

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Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Injury Biomechanics
Computational Mechanics

Background:

Vehicle crashes are a significant cause of traumatic brain injury.
Understanding the specific biomechanical factors contributing to head injuries is crucial for developing effective safety measures.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the distinct contributions of translational accelerations (TransAcc) and rotational accelerations (RotAcc) to strain-induced head injuries.
To quantify the impact of TransAcc and RotAcc on brain strain and other injury metrics using finite element analysis.

Main Methods:

Utilized vehicle impact test data from 33 non-contact crash tests.
Employed a human finite element head model subjected to head acceleration data.
Simulated three scenarios: combined TransAcc and RotAcc, TransAcc only, and RotAcc only.

Main Results:

Rotational accelerations were responsible for over 80% of the calculated brain strain.
This finding remained consistent across various crash modes and acceleration amplitudes.
Other injury metrics, including cumulative strain damage, dilatation damage, and relative motion damage, corroborated the significant role of RotAcc.

Conclusions:

Rotational accelerations are the predominant cause of strain-induced brain injury in vehicle impacts.
Translational accelerations contribute minimally to the overall brain strain observed in these scenarios.