Shock-Wave Study Could Lead to Better Protection

As traumatic as the wounds inflicted by explosive devices have proven to be during current and past conflicts, scientists are still trying to come to grips with less apparent but equally serious damages they can cause. Shock waves – which travel faster than sound – are causing subtle but significant injury as well. At the Office of Naval Research (ONR), engineers and scientists are trying understand the effects of shock waves. In time, the research could lead to development of better forms of protection against them. “Warfighters physically well-protected from shrapnel aren’t protected from shock waves. This wave of energy can cause … damaging effects on the brain,” said Dr. Timothy Bentley, program manager at ONR’s Warfighter Performance Department. Navy researchers have entered a partnership with Dr. Michael Cho, who chairs the bioengineering department at the University of Texas at Arlington, to study the popping of tiny bubbles – called microcavitations – caused by shock waves. Cho believes that these events can damage blood vessels in the brain, leading to memory loss, headaches, and possibly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).