MRI: Acquisition of a Linear Impactor System to Study Injury Mechanisms and Severity at University of Michigan, Dearborn

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Severe impacts on the human body, particularly to the head and chest, caused by sports or motor vehicle accidents can be fatal. Understanding the injury mechanisms and the severity of injury caused by such events is, therefore, of great importance. Such information will help engineers to better design protective materials and equipment. Obviously, this type of information cannot be gathered during actual events and therefore artificial models are utilized. To simulate impacts, an artificial model of the head and eyes are subjected to forces in a controlled and measurable manner in laboratory settings. Valuable information is therefore gained about injury mechanisms and the severity of injury caused by bodily collisions. This award provides funding to obtain a Linear Impactor System to study injury mechanisms and severity. The equipment will be used to study the response of an artificial body to various impacts. It will also help in designing protective materials and devices and formulating revised safety measures. Partnerships between engineering, social sciences, medicine, and external collaborators will lead to high-impact and novel research. Acquisition of this system will enhance the education of both undergraduate and graduate students. It will be also used in outreach activities to attract high school and middle school students to STEM fields.This instrumentation will be used on various research programs spanning a wide breadth. These programs include: (i) the relationship between neck strength and head acceleration (ii) biomechanics of injuries due to intimate partner violence (iii) examination of sensors to monitor head acceleration (iv) the efficacy and mechanical behavior of personal protective equipment such as helmets, soft headgear and face masks (v) characterization of the mechanobiological response of the eye to impact (vi) and the understanding of mechanical changes in the heart during an impact to the thorax. The knowledge generated will help to develop a more accurate forensic analysis of injury and to increase understanding of the fundamental behavior of hard and soft tissue injury. Researchers also will study the relation of injury to loading rate and body acceleration, and the optimum methods to reduce the likelihood of injury for incidents related to sports, falls, violence and transportation crash.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.