A Proposed New Brain Injury Tolerance Criterion Based on the Exchange of Energy Between the Skull and the Brain

The Head Injury Criterion limit, HIC_1000T = 1000, was developed based on skull fracture data (short time intervals T) and longer duration head translations that lead to Closed Head Injuries (CHI). However, recent results imply that the HIC limits depend on the time interval T and the victim’s age [1]. Since the HIC lacks a clear physical interpretation, it is difficult to compare (verify) the new HIC limits with data from non-translational motions, e.g., to link these limits with the Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) criterion developed for head rotations [2]. The recent Head Impact Power (HIP) criterion can be applied to arbitrary motions, but it requires determining six parameters experimentally [3].