Development of an Iron Ball Drop-Type Pressure Loading device for Assessment of Impact Resistance of brain Capillaries

To examine the tolerance thresholds of cerebral capillaries and to apply these findings to future head injury standards, we developed a device designed to replicate the pressure fluctuations experienced within the cranium during head trauma. This apparatus features a chamber filled with phosphate buffer solution and sealed at the top with a silicone membrane. An iron ball was released from a predetermined height, penetrating the silicone membrane and exerting compressive pressure on the cells within the chamber. The device can generate compressive pressures ranging from tens of kPa to several hundreds of kPa over durations ranging from several milliseconds to several tens of milliseconds. Additionally, we constructed a finite element model of the device to visualize the pressure distribution within the chamber. Finally, we assessed cell viability under impact loads, demonstrating that cell viability decreased proportionally with the applied pressure.