Abstract
A finite element model (FEM) of an average adult human head was used to perform a modal analysis to characterize the intrinsic vibrational response of the human head. The first ten fundamental frequencies and associated mode shapes of the head were extracted by FE analysis. Strain energy associated with the head's vibrational modes was plotted instead of mode shapesd in three-dimensional space. The effects on the vibrational response of the head were determined by carrying out a parametric study on the thicknesses and element types of the skull, brain with and without membranes, and the material properties of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) layer. (A)