Design of a methodology for the determination of the mechanical rib stiffness as injury index

The analysis of the thorax’s bones has become a critical issue in the evaluation of injuries on the human being. For this reason, this paper shows a methodology to evaluate the stiffness of the ribs. To compute the stiffness of the ribs, this parameter was related to the strain energy caused by a payload applied over their free-end. Then, the strain energy is computed through energetical models. In this way, it was developed a custom software to evaluate important biological conditions on the human being like the shape of the rib, the size of the cross-section, or the density of the bone. Finally, it was found that the strain energy can be displayed through 12 parameters of significance. The main parameter that modifies greatly the critical zone of breakability on the rib is the angle of The payload applied.