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[Finite-element simulation of solar radiation impact on corpse's cooling]
1Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia.
Objective:
To find out the regularities of solar radiation impact on the corpse's temperature field by means of a finite-element simulation of this physical process.
Material And Methods:
A finite-element simulation of the temperature field of the corpse's head was performed using the ELCUT 6.5 application.
Results:
A two-dimensional finite-element model of finding the postmortem temperature field of the head under conditions of convective heat exchange with and without solar radiation, considering the cyclical dynamics of the external temperature and surface density of the heat flow, as well as the presence of shadow zone on the corpse, has been developed. It has been proven during simulation that solar radiation, depending on the heat flow density and the integral sum of absorbed thermal radiation, is accompanied by a proportional heating of the corpse's superficial tissues on the insolation side with delayed change in the temperature gradients' directions and asymmetric temperature field formation. Diffused solar radiation is enough for change of the corpse's cooling dynamics even if its location is not under direct sunlight.
Conclusion:
It is recommended to use the finite-element simulation of corpse's cooling in determining the age of death under conditions of combined postmortem heat exchange with the presence of solar radiation.
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