Development Of Lower Extremity Injury Criteria And Biomechanical Surrogate To Evaluate Military Vehicle Occupant Injury During An Explosive Blast Event

DEVELOPMENT OF LOWER EXTREMITY INJURY CRITERIA ANDBIOMECHANICAL SURROGATE TO EVALUATE MILITARY VEHICLE OCCUPANTINJURY DURING AN EXPLOSIVE BLAST EVENTbyBRIAN JOSEPH MCKAYDecember 2010Advisor: Dr. Cynthia BirMajor: Biomedical EngineeringDegree: Doctor of Philosophy Anti-vehicular (AV) landmines and improvised explosive devices (IED) haveaccounted for more than half of the United States military hostile casualties andwounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The lower extremity is the predominantlyinjured body region following an AV mine or IED blast accounting for 26 percent of allcombat injuries in OIF (Owens et al., 2007). Detonations occurring under the vehicletransmit high amplitude and short duration axial loads onto the foot-ankle-tibia region ofthe occupant causing injuries to the lower leg. The current effort was initiated todevelop lower extremity injury criteria and biofidelic biomechanical surrogate to evaluatemilitary occupant injury during an AV (axial) blast event.Eighteen lower extremity post mortem human specimens (PMHS) wereinstrumented with an implantable load cell and strain gages and impacted at one ofthree incrementally severe AV axial impact conditions. Twelve of the 18 PMHSspecimens sustained fractures of the calcaneus, talus, fibula and/or tibia. A tibia axial