Human Neck Finite Element Model Development and Validation against Original Experimental Data.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational Mechanics
• Human Anatomy

Background:

• Finite element models (FEMs) are crucial for simulating head-neck dynamics.
• Existing models often lack sufficient biofidelity, especially in capturing specific motion modes.
• Validation against experimental data is essential for model accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a detailed finite element model of a human volunteer's neck.
• To improve the biofidelity of head-neck FEMs, particularly for the retraction mode.
• To introduce frequency domain validation methods for enhanced model accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Creation of a detailed FEM of a human volunteer's neck.
• Model validation using experimental data from the same volunteer.
• Frequency domain analysis to extract modal characteristics of the head-neck system.
• Superposition of numerical and experimental frequency response functions for in-depth validation.

Main Results:

• Successful temporal validation under various impact scenarios (frontal, lateral, oblique, rear).
• Accurate reproduction of neck extension (1.4 Hz) and head retraction (8.8 Hz) modes after frequency domain optimization.
• Demonstration that temporal domain validation alone is insufficient for capturing critical modes.

Conclusions:

• The optimized FEM offers improved geometry description and biofidelity.
• Frequency domain validation enhances the accuracy of head-neck models.
• The study highlights the importance of the retraction mode and its accurate simulation.