Mechanisms and Mitigation of Hearing Loss from Blast Injury

This phase of a multi-year project continues and expands studies aimed at an improved biomechanical understanding of blast injury and development of new technologies for the mitigation of auditory injury from blast. Off-the-shelf fiber optic pressure sensors were used to measure and correlate extern...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Easter, James R
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ACOUSTIC TRAUMA
Anatomy and Physiology
AUDITORY HAZARD MODELS
AUDITORY INJURIES
BIOMECHANICS
BLAST
BLAST INJURIES
BLAST WAVES
DAMAGE
EAC(EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL)
EAR PROTECTORS
FIBER OPTIC PRESSURE PROBES
FIBER OPTICS
Fluid Mechanics
HEARING
HEARING PROTECTION
INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE
Medicine and Medical Research
OSSICULAR VELOCITY
POLYIMIDE RESINS
PRESSURE
SHOCK TUBES
SIMULATION
TRAUMA
VELOCITY
WOUNDS AND INJURIES
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Summary:This phase of a multi-year project continues and expands studies aimed at an improved biomechanical understanding of blast injury and development of new technologies for the mitigation of auditory injury from blast. Off-the-shelf fiber optic pressure sensors were used to measure and correlate external auditory canal (EAC) and intracranial pressure profiles in a cadaver head during blast generated by a shock tube. These wave forms were recorded and reproduced through a programmable bench top blast simulator system. This system, developed in Year 1, was improved through use of a folded horn approximating an exponential reduction in cross-section. The improved system delivers simulated blast wave forms with peak pressures exceeding 180dBSPL to human temporal bone specimens. Intracochlear pressures were measured using during harmonic and impulse stimuli using off-the-shelf fiber optic pressure probes with polyimides heating to resist damage from extreme pressures. Ossicular and round window membrane displacements were recorded simultaneously using a scanning LDV. These results give system compliance and group delay for the propagating blast wave, and the rate of energy transfer to the cochlea. Those parameters will be used to improve auditory hazard models and develop active systems protective against blast injury. The original document contains color images.