Search Results

It is well known that the ability of the human body to withstand trauma is a function of its inherent strength, i.e., the strength of the bones and soft tissues. Yet, the properties of the bones and tissues change as a function of the individual's age. In this paper age effects on thoracic injury tolerances are studied by analyzing the mechanical properties of human bones and soft tissues and by examining experimental results found in the literature of thoracic impact tests to human cadavers. This work suggests that the adult age range can be divided into three age groups. Using piece-wise linear regression analyses, it has been determined that the reduction in injury tolerance from the “young” age group to the “elderly” group is approximately 20% under blunt frontal impact loading conditions and is as much as 70% under belt loading conditions.