Use of cadavers and anthropometric test devices (ATDs) for assessing lower limb injury outcome from under‐vehicle explosions

Newell, Nicolas<sup>1</sup>; Masouros, Spyros D.<sup>1</sup>; Ramasamy, Arul<sup>1</sup>; Bonner, Timothy J.<sup>1</sup>; Hill, Adam M.<sup>1</sup>; Clasper, Jon C.<sup>1,2</sup>; Bull, Anthony M. J.<sup>1,3</sup>

Affiliations

¹Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK

²Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK

³Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London, UK

Abstract and keywords

Lower extremities are particularly susceptible to injury in an under‐vehicle explosion. Operational fitness of military vehicles is assessed through anthropometric test devices (ATDs) in full‐scale blast tests. The aim of this study was to compare the response between the Hybrid‐III ATD, the MiL‐Lx ATD and cadavers in our traumatic injury simulator, which is able to replicate the response of the vehicle floor in an under‐vehicle explosion. All specimens were fitted with a combat boot and tested on our traumatic injury simulator in a seated position. The load recorded in the ATDs was above the tolerance levels recommended by NATO in all tests; no injuries were observed in any of the 3 cadaveric specimens. The Hybrid‐III produced higher peak forces than the MiL‐Lx. The time to peak strain in the calcaneus of the cadavers was similar to the time to peak force in the ATDs. Maximum compression of the sole of the combat boot was similar for cadavers and MiL‐Lx, but significantly greater for the Hybrid‐III. These results suggest that the MiL‐Lx has a more biofidelic response to under‐vehicle explosive events compared to the Hybrid‐III. Therefore, it is recommended that mitigation strategies are assessed using the MiL‐Lx surrogate and not the Hybrid‐III.

Keywords: Blast injury, Cadaver, Hybrid‐III, IED, MIL‐Lx

Links

URL: http://www.ircobi.org/downloads/irc12/pdf_files/38.pdf

Cited Works (5)

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Cited By (7)

Year	Entry
2013	Newell N, Masouros SD, Bull AMJ. A comparison of MiL‐Lx and Hybrid‐III responses in seated and standing postures with blast mats in simulated under‐vehicle explosions. In: Proceedings of the 2013 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 11-13, 2013; Gothenburg, Sweden.135-144.
2015	Newell N, Bull AMJ, Masouros SD. A computational model for prediction of lower‐limb injury in under‐vehicle explosions. In: Proceedings of the 2015 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 9-11, 2015; Lyon, France.748-749.
2015	Zaharie D, Masouros S. A multibody dynamics model of the MiL‐Lx surrogate for under‐body blast. In: Proceedings of the 2015 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 9-11, 2015; Lyon, France.744-745.
2016	Baker WA, Untaroiu CD. A finite element model of a dummy lower extremity for investigating the injury risk of vehicle occupants during underbody explosion events. In: Proceedings of the 12th Ohio State University Injury Biomechanics Symposium. June 5-7, 2016; Columbus, OH.
2017	Butz K, Spurlock C, Roy R, Bell C, Barrett P, Ward A, Xiao X, Shirley A, Welch C, Liste K. Development of the CAVEMAN human body model: validation of lower extremity sub-injurious response to vertical accelerative loading. Stapp Car Crash J. November 2017;61:175-209. SAE 2017-22-0006.
2018	Cristino DM. Lower Extremity Biomechanical Response of Female and Male Post-Mortem Human Surrogates to High-Rate Vertical Loading During Simulated Under-Body Blast Events [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; December 13, 2018.
2019	Somasundaram K. Development of Spine Injury Mechanisms, Response Corridors and Computational Human Model to Assess Mounted Occupant Injury During Underbody Blast Loading [PhD thesis]. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University; August 2019.