Numerical study of one-dimensional model of blast wave propagation through lungs

Abstract

Blast lung injury is a direct consequence of a blast wave from high explosive detonation upon the body. The choice of physical parameters responsible for trauma is important to understand its mechanism. We use a one-dimensional linear model of elastic wave propagation in foam-like pulmonary parenchyma to identify the possible cause of edema due to the impact load. The model demonstrates different injury localization for free and rigid boundary conditions. The following parameters were considered: strain, pressure in the medium and stresses in structural elements. In this study we also add a porosity parameter in the governing linear model because the lungs like a porous media. Finite difference scheme is used to solve the governing transformed equations by using central difference approximations for all the spatial derivatives. The iterative method has been found to be quite effective in solving the equation numerically for different time periods. © 2010 International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.