A multibody model for the evaluation of the dynamic response of the human neck: development, validation and application to a new neck protection device

This work is focused on the dynamic response of the human neck to impulsive loads during crash phenomena. The mechanical behavior of the neck is described and different injury indices are presented. A multi-body model of a human being has been developed and validated. The information about anatomy and physiology of the cervical spine of the neck has been collected from the literature, with particular focus on the mechanism of damage of vertebrae, disks and soft tissues. By means of the presented model, the injury indices are computed for an accident involving a motorcyclist. The performances of an innovative neck safety device that links the helmet with the thoracic-shield are evaluated and compared to the performances of an airbag system. The safety device has been modeled as a lumped parameters spring-damper system. A sensitivity analysis on the injury indices has been performed by changing the stiffness and the damping parameters of the safety system.