Development of a Human Cranial Bone Surrogate for Impact Studies

Area of Science:

• Biomechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Orthopedic Research

Background:

• Replicating human skull fracture behavior under impact requires materials with specific mechanical properties.
• Key properties include fracture toughness, tensile strength of cranial tables, and bending strength of the three-layer skull architecture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a surrogate material that accurately replicates the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of human cranial bone.
• To validate the surrogate material's performance through impact and bending tests.

Main Methods:

• Developed surrogate cranial tables using epoxy resins with glass fibers and surrogate diplöe using low-density foams.
• Conducted 41 three-point bending fracture toughness tests on nine material combinations.
• Performed tensile and three-point bending tests on three-layer surrogate samples.
• Executed drop tower tests to compare fracture patterns with human skulls.

Main Results:

• The surrogate cranial tables exhibited quasi-static fracture toughness of 2.5 MPa√m and tensile strength of 53 ± 4.9 MPa.
• The three-layer surrogate cranial bone showed a quasi-static bending strength of 68 ± 5.7 MPa.
• Drop tower tests revealed fracture patterns similar to linear fractures in human skull impacts.

Conclusions:

• The developed surrogate material effectively replicates key mechanical properties and fracture behavior of human cranial bone.
• This material serves as a viable alternative for biomechanical studies involving human skull impacts.
• Further research will involve constructing spherical shell samples for advanced drop tower and ballistic testing.