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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Department
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Cynthia Bir
Abstract
Law enforcement sometimes use less lethal impact munitions (LLIM) as an alternative to lethal force. Although marketed as safe, there have been many reports of injuries with these projectiles when the LLIM penetrates through the skin. To better understand the skin’s penetration response to these projectiles, eight fresh, unembalmed, whole-body postmortem human specimens (PMHS) underwent impact testing with a rubber spherical projectile. Each PMHS was impacted in a variety of body regions to span across different body compositions (e.g., bone backed vs no bone). A variety of skin surrogates also underwent testing for comparison to the PMHS data to help identify a biofidelic skin surrogate. PMHS testing revealed that energy density was a suitable predictor for risk of skin penetration in many body regions, and the threshold for 50% risk varied greatly throughout the body. Surrogates were identified and can be potential biofidelic skin surrogates.
Recommended Citation
Foley, Sierra, "Usage Of Less Lethal Impact Munitions To Identify Risk Predictors For Skin Penetration" (2023). Wayne State University Theses. 937.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/937