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

运动或机动车事故对人体，特别是头部和胸部造成的严重影响可能是致命的。因此，了解此类事件造成的损伤机制和损伤严重程度具有重要意义。这些信息将有助于工程师更好地设计防护材料和设备。显然，这种类型的信息不能在实际事件中收集，因此使用人工模型。为了模拟撞击，在实验室环境中以可控制和可测量的方式对头部和眼睛的人造模型施加力。因此，获得了关于身体碰撞造成的伤害机制和伤害严重程度的有价值的信息。该奖项提供资金，以获得一个线性冲击器系统，以研究损伤机制和严重程度。该设备将用于研究人造物体对各种撞击的反应。它还将有助于设计保护材料和装置，并制定经修订的安全措施。工程，社会科学，医学和外部合作者之间的伙伴关系将导致高影响力和新颖的研究。获得这一系统将加强本科生和研究生的教育。它还将用于吸引高中生和中学生进入STEM领域的推广活动。该仪器将用于各种研究项目，涵盖广泛的领域。这些方案包括：（i）颈部力量和头部加速度之间的关系（ii）由于亲密伴侣暴力造成的伤害的生物力学（iii）监测头部加速度的传感器的检查（iv）诸如头盔的个人防护设备的功效和机械行为，（五）眼睛对冲击的机械生物学反应的表征（六）以及对胸部撞击过程中心脏机械变化的理解。所产生的知识将有助于开发更准确的损伤法医分析，并增加对硬组织和软组织损伤的基本行为的理解。 研究人员还将研究受伤与负荷率和身体加速度的关系，以及减少与运动、福尔斯、暴力和交通事故相关的受伤可能性的最佳方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.