numerical modeling of primary thoracic trauma because of blast

purpose: since explosive blasts continue to cause casualties in both civil and military environments, there is a need for an understanding of the mechanisms of blast trauma at the human organ level, plus a more detailed predictive methodology. the primary goal of this research was to develop a finite element model capable of predicting primary blast injury to the lung so as to assist in the development of personal protective equipment.   materials and methods: numerical simulation of thorax blast loading consisted of the following components: 3d thorax modeling reconstruction, meshing and assembly of various thorax parts, blast and boundary loading, numerical solution, result extraction and data analysis.   results: by comparing the models to published experimental data, local extent of injury in the lung was correlated to the peak pressure measured in each finite element, categorized as no injury (< 60 kpa), trace (60-100 kpa), slight (100-140 kpa), moderate (140-240 kpa) and severe (> 240 kpa). it seemed that orienting the body at an angle of 45 degrees provides the lowest injury.   conclusion: the level and type of trauma inflicted on a human organ by a blast overpressure is related to many factors including: blast characteristics, body orientation, equipment worn and the number of exposures to blast loading.