Towards a stress criterion of injury--an example in caudocephalad acceleration.

The usual specification of acceleration (in number of g’s) as the injury criterion in the biodynamic response of the human body to vibration and/or shock is quite misleading if not invalid. An injury criterion based on stress (or strain) is proposed and shown to have the potential of deciding where, w/ten and how injury is sustained. An example in pilot ejection is used for illustration.