A Novel Method to Study the Effect of Wave Slams on the Human Brain
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sharoni-nsharoni-ne-sm-meche-thesis.pdf
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5.82 MB
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04e218666339e6604abb19305a0f2db6
Author(s)
Sharoni, Noam
Advisor(s)
Cohen, Tal
Date Issued
February 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
High-speed planing vessels subject operators to severe mechanical loads and repeated wave impacts, traditionally associated with back and neck injuries. However, emerging evidence suggests that Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a significant, under-researched consequence of these operational environments. A primary barrier to identifying injury thresholds is the stochastic nature of ocean waves, which complicates the isolation of specific kinematic variables for controlled biomechanical testing. This thesis addresses this gap by developing a deterministic method to simulate wave slam kinematics by designing a mechanical platform for controlled tissue experimentation. The research utilizes experimental model scale data validated against full-scale US Navy data, to characterize injury-relevant loading parameters. A novel data processing algorithm, the Slam Piecewise Trend Extraction (SPTE) model, was developed to segment complex slam events into impact, recovery, and reset phases. Unlike standard Low Pass Filtering (LPF) methods, the SPTE model captures the peak acceleration value and account for the piecewise average loading rate, the jerk. LPF methods were found to attenuate peaks by approximately 32%, potentially obscuring critical injury data. To translate these findings into an experimental capability, a wave slam simulator was designed. A Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) methodology was employed to evaluate design concepts based on kinematic fidelity, versatility, and simplicity. A cam and follower mechanism was identified as the optimal solution among the reviewed concepts, residing on the non-dominated Pareto front across multiple design philosophies. The wave slam simulator was designed using a Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software to produce a feasible and manufacturable design. The resulting design is capable of generating high-fidelity, cyclic displacement profiles derived from the SPTE model, providing a standardized platform for future investigation into brain injury thresholds and the definition of safe operating envelopes for high-speed planing vessels.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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