Finite Element Analysis of child head impact in Judo

In sports impacts, the evaluation of brain injuries can be performed by analyzing the kinematics of the head. However, determining the strain on the brain is a more comprehensive and appropriate approach: for this purpose, finite element modeling (FEM) is a tool that has found wide application. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the stress on the brain of children during projections usually used in judo practice. Two six-year-old children performed four projections (o-soto-gari, o-uchi-gari, ippon-seoi-nage and tai-otoshi) during which the linear acceleration and angular velocity of the head were measured with an inertial sensor applied to the forehead. Using the LS - PrePost software, the children were modeled with the PIPER model and the experimental data were used as input to this model. The stress on the brain was evaluated in terms of the Von Mises Stress using the HyperView software. The evaluation was carried out both in space, to highlight the most stressed portions of the brain, and in time to correlate these stress with the linear acceleration and angular velocity to which the subject's head was exposed.