Effects of Shock Waves on Living Tissues : Numerical Analysis of a Propagating Pressure Wave toward Living Tissue

Abstract

This paper describes pressure wave analysis in order to examine the effects of shock waves on living tissues. From the comparison of displacements of living tissue models by FEM with that obtained by experiments, dynamic properties of living tissue (rat's kidney) are determined. Using these properties of the living tissues in shock compression (solid-state equation), the flow fields in two layers that consist of air and the living tissue, and in three layers that consist of air, water, and the living tissue are numerically obtained. It is found that the incident time derivative of pressure in the living tissue is smaller than that of pressure in air and water. Hence, the effect of the living tissue depends on the relaxation of pressure waves and duration of exposure.