Hydrostatic Shock - Remote Pressure Wave Effects in The Spine and Internal Organs

Remote Pressure Wave Effects in The Spine and Internal Organs

In a study of a handgun injury, Sturtevant found that pressure waves from a bullet impact in the torso can reach the spine and that a focusing effect from concave surfaces can concentrate the pressure wave on the spinal cord producing significant injury. This is consistent with other work showing remote spinal cord injuries from ballistic impacts.

Roberts et al. present both experimental work and finite element modeling showing that there can be considerable pressure wave magnitudes in the thoracic cavity for handgun projectiles stopped by a Kevlar vest. For example, an 8 gram projectile at 360 m/s impacting a NIJ level II vest over the sternum can produce an estimated pressure wave level of nearly 2.0 MPa (280 psi) in the heart and a pressure wave level of nearly 1.5 MPa (210 psi) in the lungs. Impacting over the liver can produce an estimated pressure wave level of 2.0 MPa (280 psi) in the liver.

Read more about this topic:  Hydrostatic Shock

Famous quotes containing the words remote, pressure, wave, effects, spine, internal and/or organs:

    Science is nothing but the finding of analogy, identity, in the most remote parts.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    Adolescence is when girls experience social pressure to put aside their authentic selves and to display only a small portion of their gifts.
    Mary Pipher (20th century)

    “Speaking of contraries, see how the brook
    In that white wave runs counter to itself.
    It is from that in water we were from
    Long, long before we were from any creature.
    Robert Frost (1874–1963)

    The best road to correct reasoning is by physical science; the way to trace effects to causes is through physical science; the only corrective, therefore, of superstition is physical science.
    Frances Wright (1795–1852)

    Much of a man’s character will be found betokened in his backbone. I would rather feel your spine than your skull, whoever you are. A thin joist of a spine never yet upheld a full and noble soul.
    Herman Melville (1819–1891)

    When a person doesn’t understand something, he feels internal discord: however he doesn’t search for that discord in himself, as he should, but searches outside of himself. Thence a war develops with that which he doesn’t understand.
    Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)

    How can anyone be interested in war?—that glorious pursuit of annihilation with its ceremonious bellowings and trumpetings over the mangling of human bones and muscles and organs and eyes, its inconceivable agonies which could have been prevented by a few well- chosen, reasonable words. How, why, did this unnecessary business begin? Why does anyone want to read about it—this redundant human madness which men accept as inevitable?
    Margaret Anderson (1886–1973)