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Viscoelastic
finite-element analysis of human skull - dura mater system
as intracranial pressure changing
Xianfang Yue*,
Li Wang, Shufeng Sun, Lige Tong
School
of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and
Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
yuexf@me.ustb.edu.cn.
Tel: +86-01-62334994. Fax: +86-10-62329145.
Accepted
18 January, 2008 |
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In the work, the dynamic characteristics of the human skull-dura
mater system were studied. For the purpose of our analysis,
we adopted a model consisted of a hollow sphere. By using
the ‘Patran and Ansys’ finite element processor, a
simplified three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) of a
human skull was constructed. The model was used to calculate
the deformation of human skull with the intracranial
pressure changing. This required good representation of the
complex anatomy of the skull. Four different entities are
distinguished: Tabula externa, Tabula interna, and a porous
Diploe sandwiched in between, and dura mater. A thin-walled
skull was simulated by composite shell elements. The
viscoelasticity of human skull-dura mater system was studied
and analyzed by the finite-element Maxwell model. The 1/8
model consisted of 25224 nodes and 24150 three-dimensional
8-node isoparametric solid elements. The elastic-viscous
mechanical characteristics must be used for the skull. The
viscous strains account for about 40% of total strains of
human skull and dura mater. And the range of strain
errors is from 6.45 to 14.82% after ignoring the viscosity
of skull and dura mater.
Key
words:
Viscoelasticity, finite-element analysis (FEA), strain,
human skull, dura mater, intracranial pressure. |
