The Influence of Neck Compliance and Head Displacement on Impact Dynamics of a Hybrid III Head

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of impact deflection and neck compliance on peak linear, peak angular accelerations and the Gadd severity index. To replicate direct impacts to the head, a pneumatic linear impactor was used to impact a Hybrid III head and neck attached to a sliding table. The headform was translated 0cm, 3.88cm, 7.75 cm and 11.63cm laterally to identify the effects of impact deflection. The effects of neck compliance were tested using a Hybrid III 50th percentile neck as well as two specially engineered Hybrid III necks. Impacts away from the centre of gravity of the headform recorded lower values for peak linear and angular accelerations and GSI. This means that impact deflection can effectively reduce brain injury risk. Neck compliance had a significant effect on linear acceleration and angular acceleration. An increase in neck compliance caused a decrease in linear acceleration; however, it also resulted in a decrease in angular acceleration. A comparison to published injury thresholds revealed that a decrease in neck compliance could significantly decrease the risk of brain injury. The data collected provided important insight into the importance of impact avoidance and deflection on injury prevention as well as the effect of the neck on the dynamic response of the head during impact.

Year	Entry
1971	Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE. Tolerances for cerebral concussion from head impact and whiplash in primates. J Biomech. 1971;4(1):13-21.
1975	Padgaonkar AJ, Krieger KW, King AI. Measurement of angular acceleration of a rigid body using linear accelerometers. J Appl Mech. September 1975;42(3):552-556.
1974	Ommaya AK, Gennarelli TA. Cerebral concussion and traumatic unconsciousness: correlation of experimental and clinical observations of blunt head injuries. Brain. December 1974;97(4):633-654.
2005	Viano DC, Pellman EJ. Concussion in professional football: biomechanics of the striking player: part 8. Neurosurgery. February 2005;56(2):266-278.
1943	Holbourn AHS. Mechanics of head injuries. Lancet. October 9, 1943;242(6267):438-441.
1982	Gennarelli TA, Thibault LE, Adams JH, Graham DI, Thompson CJ, Marcincin RP. Diffuse axonal injury and traumatic coma in the primate. Ann Neurol. 1982;12(6):564-574.
1944	Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR. Mechanism of head injury as studied by the cathode ray oscilloscope: preliminary report. J Neurosurg. November 1944;1(6):393-399.
1999	Powell JW, Barber-Foss KD. Traumatic brain injury in high school athletes. JAMA. September 8, 1999;282(10):958-963.
2000	Bogduk N, Mercer S. Biomechanics of the cervical spine, I: normal kinematics. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). November 2000;15(9):633-648.
2002	Torg JS, Guille JT, Jaffe S. Injuries to the cervical spine in American football players. J Bone Joint Surg. January 2002;84A(1):112-122.
1980	Ono K, Kikuchi A, Nakamura M, Kobayashi H, Nakamura N. Human head tolerance to sagittal impact reliable estimation deduced from experimental head injury using subhuman primates and human cadaver skulls. In: Proceedings of the 24th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 15-17, 1980; Troy, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:103-160. SAE 801303.
1961	Strich SJ. Shearing of nerve fibres as a cause of brain damage due to head injury: a pathological study of twenty cases. Lancet. August 26, 1961;278(7200):443-448.
2001	Vasavada AN, Li S, Delp SL. Three-dimensional isometric strength of neck muscles in humans. Spine. September 1, 2001;26(17):1904-1909.
2002	Ommaya AK, Goldsmith W, Thibault L. Biomechanics and neuropathology of adult and paediatric head injury. Br J Neurosurg. June 2002;16(3):220-242.
1965	Patrick LM, Lissner HR, Gurdjian ES. Survival by design: head protection. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:483-499.
1989	Deng Y-C. Anthropomorphic dummy neck modeling and injury considerations. Accid Anal Prev. February 1989;21(1):85-100.
2005	Brolin K, Halldin P, Leijonhufvud I. The effect of muscle activation on neck response. Traffic Inj Prev. March 2005;6(1):67-76.
2002	Delaney JS, Lacroix VJ, Leclerc S, Johnston KM. Concussions among university football and soccer players. Clin J Sport Med. November 2002;2(6):331-338.
2005	Viano DC, Casson IR, Pellman EJ, Zhang L, King AI, Yang KH. Concussion in professional football: brain responses by finite element analysis: part 9. Neurosurgery. November 2005;57(5):891-916.
2003	King AI, Yang KH, Zhang L, Hardy W, Viano DC. Is head injury caused by linear or angular acceleration? In: Proceedings of the 2003 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 25, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.1-12.
2005	Bayly PV, Cohen TS, Leister EP, Ajo D, Leuthardt EC, Genin GM. Deformation of the human brain induced by mild acceleration. J Neurotrauma. August 2005;22(8):845-856.
1982	Gennarelli TA, Thibault LE. Biomechanics of acute subdural hematoma. J Trauma. 1982;22(8):680-686.
1983	Gerberich SG, Priest JD, Boen JR, Straub CP, Maxwell RE. Concussion incidences and severity in secondary school varsity football players. Am J Public Health. 1983;73(12):1370-1375.
2001	Langburt W, Cohen B, Akhthar N, O’Neill K, Lee J-C. Incidence of concussion in high school football players of Ohio and Pennsylvania. J Child Neurol. February 2001;16(2):83-85.
1992	Svensson MY, Lövsund P. A dummy for rear-end collisions: development and validation of a new dummy-neck. In: Proceedings of the 1992 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 9-11, 1992; Verona, Italy.299-310.
1966	Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE, Martinez JL. The role of whiplash in cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:314-324. SAE 660804.
1986	Seemann MR, Muzzy WH III, Lustick LS. Comparison of human and Hybrid III head and neck dynamic response. In: Proceedings of the 30th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 27-29, 1986; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:291-311. SAE 861892.
1953	Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR, Latimer FR, Haddad BF, Webster JE. Quantitative determination of acceleration and intracranial pressure in experimental head injury: preliminary report. Neurology. 1953;3(6):417-423.
1983	Povlishock JT, Becker DP, Cheng CLY, Vaughan GW. Axonal change in minor head injury. J Neuropathol & Exp Neurol. 1983;42(3):225-242.
1955	Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. Observations on the mechanism of brain concussion, contusion, and laceration. Surg Gynecol Obstet. December 1955;101(6):680-690.
1956	Strich SJ. Diffuse degeneration of the cerebral white matter in severe dementia following head injury. J Neurol Neutrosurg Psychiatry. August 1956;19(3):163-185.
2003	Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker A, Casson IR, Waeckerle JF. Concussion in professional football: reconstruction of game impacts and injuries. Neurosurgery. October 2003;53(4):799-814.
1987	Deng Y-C, Goldsmith W. Response of a human head/neck/upper-torso replica to dynamic loading, II: analytical/numerical model. J Biomech. 1987;20(5):487-497.
2002	Prange MT, Margulies SS. Regional, directional, and age-dependent properties of the brain undergoing large deformation. J Biomech Eng. 2002;124(2):244-252.
2004	Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. A proposed injury threshold for mild traumatic brain injury. J Biomech Eng. 2004;126(2):226-236.
2000	Guskiewicz KM, Weaver NL, Padua DA, Garrett WE Jr. Epidemiology of concussion in collegiate and high school football players. Am J Sports Med. September 2000;28(5):643-650.
1994	Pettus EH, Christman CW, Giebel ML, Povlishock JT. Traumatically induced altered membrane permeability: its relationship to traumatically induced reactive axonal change. J Neurotrauma. October 1994;11(5):507-522.
2005	Newman JA, Beusenberg MC, Shewchenko N, Withnall C, Fournier E. Verification of biomechanical methods employed in a comprehensive study of mild traumatic brain injury and the effectiveness of American football helmets. J Biomech. July 2005;38(7):1469-1481.
2001	Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. Comparison of brain responses between frontal and lateral impacts by finite element modeling. J Neurotrauma. 2001;18(1):21-30.
2006	Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil. September–October 2006;21(5):375-378.
2004	Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Casson IR, Tucker AM, Waeckerle JF, Powell JW, Feuer H. Concussion in professional football: repeat injuries—Part 4. Neurosurgery. October 2004;55(4):860-876.
1966	Gadd CW. Use of a weighted-impulse criterion for estimating injury hazard. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:164-174. SAE 660793.
2003	Kleiven S. Influence of impact direction on the human head in prediction of subdural hematoma. J Neurotrauma. April 2003;20(4):365-379.
1994	Sturzenegger M, DiStefano G, Radanov BP, Schnidrig A. Presenting symptoms and signs after whiplash injury: the influence of accident mechanisms. Neurology. April 1994;44(4):688-693.
2003	Cantu RC, Mueller FO. Brain injury-related fatalities in American football, 1945–1999. Neurosurgery. April 2003;52(4):846-853.
2005	Toth C, McNeil S, Feasby T. Central nervous system injuries in sport and recreation: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2005;35(8):685-715.
1960	Lissner HR, Lebow M, Evans FG. Experimental studies on the relation between acceleration and intracranial pressure changes in man. Surg Gynecol Obstet. September 1960;111(3):329-338.
2006	Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Withnall C, Shewchenko N, Bir CA, Halstead PD. Concussion in professional football: helmet testing to assess impact performance—Part 11. Neurosurgery. January 2006;58(1):78-95.
2004	Pellman EJ, Powell JW, Viano DC, Casson IR, Tucker AM, Feuer H, Lovell M, Waeckerle JF, Robertson DW. Concussion in professional football: epidemiological features of game injuries and review of the literature—Part 3. Neurosurgery. January 2004;54(1):81-94.
2003	Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker AM, Casson IR. Concussion in professional football: location and direction of helmet impacts—part 2. Neurosurgery. December 2003;53(6):1328-1341.

Year

Entry

1971

Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE. Tolerances for cerebral concussion from head impact and whiplash in primates. J Biomech. 1971;4(1):13-21.

1975

Padgaonkar AJ, Krieger KW, King AI. Measurement of angular acceleration of a rigid body using linear accelerometers. J Appl Mech. September 1975;42(3):552-556.

1974

Ommaya AK, Gennarelli TA. Cerebral concussion and traumatic unconsciousness: correlation of experimental and clinical observations of blunt head injuries. Brain. December 1974;97(4):633-654.

2005

Viano DC, Pellman EJ. Concussion in professional football: biomechanics of the striking player: part 8. Neurosurgery. February 2005;56(2):266-278.

1943

Holbourn AHS. Mechanics of head injuries. Lancet. October 9, 1943;242(6267):438-441.

1982

Gennarelli TA, Thibault LE, Adams JH, Graham DI, Thompson CJ, Marcincin RP. Diffuse axonal injury and traumatic coma in the primate. Ann Neurol. 1982;12(6):564-574.

1944

Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR. Mechanism of head injury as studied by the cathode ray oscilloscope: preliminary report. J Neurosurg. November 1944;1(6):393-399.

1999

Powell JW, Barber-Foss KD. Traumatic brain injury in high school athletes. JAMA. September 8, 1999;282(10):958-963.

2000

Bogduk N, Mercer S. Biomechanics of the cervical spine, I: normal kinematics. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). November 2000;15(9):633-648.

2002

Torg JS, Guille JT, Jaffe S. Injuries to the cervical spine in American football players. J Bone Joint Surg. January 2002;84A(1):112-122.

1980

Ono K, Kikuchi A, Nakamura M, Kobayashi H, Nakamura N. Human head tolerance to sagittal impact reliable estimation deduced from experimental head injury using subhuman primates and human cadaver skulls. In: Proceedings of the 24th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 15-17, 1980; Troy, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:103-160. SAE 801303.

1961

Strich SJ. Shearing of nerve fibres as a cause of brain damage due to head injury: a pathological study of twenty cases. Lancet. August 26, 1961;278(7200):443-448.

2001

Vasavada AN, Li S, Delp SL. Three-dimensional isometric strength of neck muscles in humans. Spine. September 1, 2001;26(17):1904-1909.

2002

Ommaya AK, Goldsmith W, Thibault L. Biomechanics and neuropathology of adult and paediatric head injury. Br J Neurosurg. June 2002;16(3):220-242.

1965

Patrick LM, Lissner HR, Gurdjian ES. Survival by design: head protection. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:483-499.

1989

Deng Y-C. Anthropomorphic dummy neck modeling and injury considerations. Accid Anal Prev. February 1989;21(1):85-100.

2005

Brolin K, Halldin P, Leijonhufvud I. The effect of muscle activation on neck response. Traffic Inj Prev. March 2005;6(1):67-76.

2002

Delaney JS, Lacroix VJ, Leclerc S, Johnston KM. Concussions among university football and soccer players. Clin J Sport Med. November 2002;2(6):331-338.

2005

Viano DC, Casson IR, Pellman EJ, Zhang L, King AI, Yang KH. Concussion in professional football: brain responses by finite element analysis: part 9. Neurosurgery. November 2005;57(5):891-916.

2003

King AI, Yang KH, Zhang L, Hardy W, Viano DC. Is head injury caused by linear or angular acceleration? In: Proceedings of the 2003 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 25, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.1-12.

2005

Bayly PV, Cohen TS, Leister EP, Ajo D, Leuthardt EC, Genin GM. Deformation of the human brain induced by mild acceleration. J Neurotrauma. August 2005;22(8):845-856.

1982

Gennarelli TA, Thibault LE. Biomechanics of acute subdural hematoma. J Trauma. 1982;22(8):680-686.

1983

Gerberich SG, Priest JD, Boen JR, Straub CP, Maxwell RE. Concussion incidences and severity in secondary school varsity football players. Am J Public Health. 1983;73(12):1370-1375.

2001

Langburt W, Cohen B, Akhthar N, O’Neill K, Lee J-C. Incidence of concussion in high school football players of Ohio and Pennsylvania. J Child Neurol. February 2001;16(2):83-85.

1992

Svensson MY, Lövsund P. A dummy for rear-end collisions: development and validation of a new dummy-neck. In: Proceedings of the 1992 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 9-11, 1992; Verona, Italy.299-310.

1966

Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE, Martinez JL. The role of whiplash in cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:314-324. SAE 660804.

1986

Seemann MR, Muzzy WH III, Lustick LS. Comparison of human and Hybrid III head and neck dynamic response. In: Proceedings of the 30th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 27-29, 1986; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:291-311. SAE 861892.

1953

Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR, Latimer FR, Haddad BF, Webster JE. Quantitative determination of acceleration and intracranial pressure in experimental head injury: preliminary report. Neurology. 1953;3(6):417-423.

1983

Povlishock JT, Becker DP, Cheng CLY, Vaughan GW. Axonal change in minor head injury. J Neuropathol & Exp Neurol. 1983;42(3):225-242.

1955

Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. Observations on the mechanism of brain concussion, contusion, and laceration. Surg Gynecol Obstet. December 1955;101(6):680-690.

1956

Strich SJ. Diffuse degeneration of the cerebral white matter in severe dementia following head injury. J Neurol Neutrosurg Psychiatry. August 1956;19(3):163-185.

2003

Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker A, Casson IR, Waeckerle JF. Concussion in professional football: reconstruction of game impacts and injuries. Neurosurgery. October 2003;53(4):799-814.

1987

Deng Y-C, Goldsmith W. Response of a human head/neck/upper-torso replica to dynamic loading, II: analytical/numerical model. J Biomech. 1987;20(5):487-497.

2002

Prange MT, Margulies SS. Regional, directional, and age-dependent properties of the brain undergoing large deformation. J Biomech Eng. 2002;124(2):244-252.

2004

Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. A proposed injury threshold for mild traumatic brain injury. J Biomech Eng. 2004;126(2):226-236.

2000

Guskiewicz KM, Weaver NL, Padua DA, Garrett WE Jr. Epidemiology of concussion in collegiate and high school football players. Am J Sports Med. September 2000;28(5):643-650.

1994

Pettus EH, Christman CW, Giebel ML, Povlishock JT. Traumatically induced altered membrane permeability: its relationship to traumatically induced reactive axonal change. J Neurotrauma. October 1994;11(5):507-522.

2005

Newman JA, Beusenberg MC, Shewchenko N, Withnall C, Fournier E. Verification of biomechanical methods employed in a comprehensive study of mild traumatic brain injury and the effectiveness of American football helmets. J Biomech. July 2005;38(7):1469-1481.

2001

Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. Comparison of brain responses between frontal and lateral impacts by finite element modeling. J Neurotrauma. 2001;18(1):21-30.

2006

Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil. September–October 2006;21(5):375-378.

2004

Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Casson IR, Tucker AM, Waeckerle JF, Powell JW, Feuer H. Concussion in professional football: repeat injuries—Part 4. Neurosurgery. October 2004;55(4):860-876.

1966

Gadd CW. Use of a weighted-impulse criterion for estimating injury hazard. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:164-174. SAE 660793.

2003

Kleiven S. Influence of impact direction on the human head in prediction of subdural hematoma. J Neurotrauma. April 2003;20(4):365-379.

1994

Sturzenegger M, DiStefano G, Radanov BP, Schnidrig A. Presenting symptoms and signs after whiplash injury: the influence of accident mechanisms. Neurology. April 1994;44(4):688-693.

2003

Cantu RC, Mueller FO. Brain injury-related fatalities in American football, 1945–1999. Neurosurgery. April 2003;52(4):846-853.

2005

Toth C, McNeil S, Feasby T. Central nervous system injuries in sport and recreation: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2005;35(8):685-715.

1960

Lissner HR, Lebow M, Evans FG. Experimental studies on the relation between acceleration and intracranial pressure changes in man. Surg Gynecol Obstet. September 1960;111(3):329-338.

2006

Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Withnall C, Shewchenko N, Bir CA, Halstead PD. Concussion in professional football: helmet testing to assess impact performance—Part 11. Neurosurgery. January 2006;58(1):78-95.

2004

Pellman EJ, Powell JW, Viano DC, Casson IR, Tucker AM, Feuer H, Lovell M, Waeckerle JF, Robertson DW. Concussion in professional football: epidemiological features of game injuries and review of the literature—Part 3. Neurosurgery. January 2004;54(1):81-94.

2003

Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker AM, Casson IR. Concussion in professional football: location and direction of helmet impacts—part 2. Neurosurgery. December 2003;53(6):1328-1341.

Year	Entry
2017	Stuart CA. Snow Sport Head Injury: Characterization of Clinical Presentation and Design of a Relevant Head Impact Apparatus [Master's thesis]. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia; April 2017.
2010	Foreman SG. The Dynamic Impact Response of a Hybrid III Head- and Neckform Under Four Neck Orientations and Three Impact Locations [Master's thesis]. University of Ottawa; December 10, 2010.
2011	Coulson NR. The Influence of Impact Mass, Inbound Velocity and System Compliance on the Dynamic Response of a Hybrid III Head Form [Master's thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2011.

Year

Entry

2017

Stuart CA. Snow Sport Head Injury: Characterization of Clinical Presentation and Design of a Relevant Head Impact Apparatus [Master's thesis]. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia; April 2017.

2010

Foreman SG. The Dynamic Impact Response of a Hybrid III Head- and Neckform Under Four Neck Orientations and Three Impact Locations [Master's thesis]. University of Ottawa; December 10, 2010.

2011

Coulson NR. The Influence of Impact Mass, Inbound Velocity and System Compliance on the Dynamic Response of a Hybrid III Head Form [Master's thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2011.