A Visco‑hyperelastic Model for Prediction of the Brain Tissue Response and the Traumatic Brain Injuries

Abstract

Introduction: Numerous geometrically simplified models may be found in the literature on simulation of the traumatic brain injuries due to the<br /> increased intracranial pressure induced by severe translational accelerations of the brain inside the cranium following the impact waves. While<br /> numerous researchers have utilized viscoelastic models, some have employed specific hyperelastic models for behavior analysis of the brain<br /> tissue. No research has been presented so far based on the more realistic visco‑hyperelastic model. Materials and Methods: In the present<br /> research, a realistic finite element model and four visco‑hyperelastic constitutive models (viscoelastic models on the basis of the polynomial,<br /> Yeoh, Arruda‑Boyce, and Ogden hyperelastic models) are employed to accomplish the outlined task. Therefore, the main motivation of the<br /> present research is checking the accuracy of the modeling procedure rather than presenting clinical results. In this regard, a realistic skull‑brain<br /> model is constructed in CATIA computer code based on the magnetic resonance imaging scans and optimized in the HYPERMESH finite element<br /> software. Results: Influence of the contact and nonlinear characteristics of the brain tissue are considered in the simulation of the relative motions<br /> in LS‑DYNA software to predict time histories of the acceleration and the coup and countercoup pressures by means of ANSYS finite element<br /> analysis software. Discussion: Comparing results of the four proposed visco‑hyperelastic constitutive models with the available experimental<br /> reveals that employing Arruda–Boyce or Ogden‑type viscoelastic models may lead to inaccurate or even erroneous results.