Previous in vivo vibratory analysis of the human head showed that the first natural frequency of the head around 150 Hz was accompanied by a de-coupling of the cerebral mass with the skull. The theoretical models, complemented with the epidemiological and accidentological analysis showed that it concerned a phenomena which was fundamental in establishing the lesion mechanism in cases of head trauma.

The aim of this study is to transfer the biomechanical head study results to a physical model intended for “measuring” the shock severity. The chosen principle is that of two masses which model the brain and skull and whose mechanical liaison has a rigidity such that the systems natural frequency is at 150 Hz. The validation of the model relies on the superimposition of the physical model’s mechanical impedance with the mechanical impedance of the human head in vivo.

In a real shock situation, this new “Dummy head” enables intracranial mechanical parameters to be recorded as a function of the shock’s characteristics. In particular it is shown how it is possible to predict the relative brain-skull movement phenomena as a function of shock damping.