An investigation utilizing the finite element technique was performed to study the human head response to impact loading. Three axisymmetric head model configurations were selected where the human skull was represented by a single-layer spherical shell, an oval shell consisting of two spherical caps and a cone frustum, and a three-layer spherical shell. For all models the interior cavity was filled by an inviscid fluid representing the cranial vault contents, and the exterior shell surface was encased by a skin-flesh layer corresponding to the scalp. The skull and scalp materials were characterized by an elastic representation. For each configuration, an axisymmetric force history was assumed to act over one of the polar cap areas.

Of particular interest were the levels of strain produced in the skull and stress in the fluid interior. Theoretical load levels required to produce skull fracture and/or brain damage by cavitation were predicted. A parametric study was conducted to determine the sensitivity of the response of the model to changes in the spatial and temporal distributions of the applied load, the head dimensions, and the material properties of skull representation. The results revealed that the load spatial distribution strongly influenced skull strains and, consequently, the load required to initiate skull fracture. The other parameters produced small effects on the models' responses.