Head and neck response of a finite element anthropomorphic test device and human body model during a simulated rotary-wing aircraft impact.

A finite element (FE) simulation environment has been developed to investigate aviator head and neck response during a simulated rotary-wing aircraft impact using both an FE anthropomorphic test device (ATD) and an FE human body model. The head and neck response of the ATD simulation was successfully validated against an experimental sled test. The majority of the head and neck transducer time histories received a CORrelation and analysis (CORA) rating of 0.7 or higher, indicating good overall correlation. The human body model simulation produced a more biofidelic head and neck response than the ATD experimental test and simulation, including change in neck curvature. While only the upper and lower neck loading can be measured in the ATD, the shear force, axial force, and bending moment were reported for each level of the cervical spine in the human body model using a novel technique involving cross sections. This loading distribution provides further insight into the biomechanical response of the neck during a rotary-wing aircraft impact.