Viscoelastic finite element analysis of the cervical intervertebral discs in conjunction with a multi-body dynamic model of the human head and neck

• Published in: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine Vol. 223; no. 2; pp. 249 - 262
• Main Authors: Esat, V, Acar, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2009; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Boundary conditions; Cervical Vertebrae - injuries; Cervical Vertebrae - physiopathology; Computer Simulation; Elastic Modulus; Finite Element Analysis; Finite element method; Head - physiopathology; Head and neck; Head Movements; Humans; Impact strength; Intervertebral Disc - injuries; Intervertebral Disc - physiopathology; Intervertebral discs; Iron; Kinematics; Kinetics; Mechanical loading; Models, Biological; Musculoskeletal system; Neck - physiopathology; Physical Stimulation - adverse effects; Simulation; Spine; Spine (cervical); Viscoelasticity; Viscosity; Whiplash Injuries - etiology; Whiplash Injuries - physiopathology; viscoelastic finite element model; cervical spine; multi-body model; frontal impact; rear-end impact
• ISSN: 0954-4119; 2041-3033
• DOI: 10.1243/09544119JEIM421

Abstract This article presents the effects of the frontal and rear-end impact loadings on the cervical spine components by using a multi-body dynamic model of the head and neck, and a viscoelastic finite element (FE) model of the six cervical intervertebral discs. A three-dimensional multi-body model of the human head and neck is used to simulate 15 g frontal and 8.5 g rear-end impacts. The load history at each intervertebral joint from the predictions of the multi-body model is used as dynamic loading boundary conditions for the FE model of the intervertebral discs. The results from the multi-body model simulations, such as the intervertebral disc loadings in the form of compressive, tensile, and shear forces and moments, and from the FE analysis such as the von Mises stresses in the intervertebral discs are analysed. This study shows that the proposed approach that uses dynamic loading conditions from the multi-body model as input to the FE model has the potential to investigate the kinetics and the kinematics of the cervical spine and its components together with the biomechanical response of the intervertebral discs under the complex dynamic loading history.