ABSTRACT
This chapter presents numerous finite element (FE) models of human head and combat helmets for ballistic impacts and discusses future directions towards the investigation of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Head injury refers to any physical damage to both the extracranial and intracranial contents, which may or may not involve the brain, while brain injury is termed as injury to intracranial tissues. The skull-deformation-angular acceleration theory proposed by Holbourn, suggests two main causes of brain injury: skull deformation causing damage because of local brain distortion, and angular acceleration, generating shear strains and diffuse brain injury. Negative pressure develops on the contralateral side of the head as a result of the tension generated by the moving skull that is leaving behind the response-delayed brain. Contact forces resulting from an impact on the layered structure such as the brain produce local effects such as scalp laceration, skull fracture, extradural haematoma (EDH), cerebral contusion and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH).
