Numerical study on the mechanical response of brain under the impact loading based on elastic–viscoelastic model

The mechanical response of the brain on the impact process, and the relationship of brain injury and load are investigated rarely due to the complexity of brain. An elastic–viscoelastic model for analyzing the brain impact injury is presented. The elastic–viscoelastic correspondence principle is used to obtain the stress in the brain under impact. This mechanical model is in a good agreement with experimental results, and it can be applied to simulate and analyze brain injury. The results show that the stress of the brain is estimated under the different impact loads. The maximum stress of the brain may reduce by one order of magnitude, whether someone wears the safety helmet or not. Based on the interesting and rational mechanical model, it can be applied in designing the reasonable thickness of safety helmet for protecting brain and provide theoretical basis to determine injury index.