Effect of after burn cooling on temperature and damage of human skin: A finite element approach

A. M. M. Mukaddes; Mridul Sannyal; Mohammad Junaid

doi:10.15282/jmes.19.1.2025.3.0820

Authors

A. M. M. Mukaddes Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh. Phone: + 8801777891684
Mridul Sannyal Department of Information, Gildan, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
M. Junaid Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.19.1.2025.3.0820

Keywords:

Skin Burn, Finite element, after burn cooling, damage integral

Abstract

Burn injuries are a significant health concern, requiring immediate and effective intervention to minimize tissue damage. Experimental measurement of temperature variations in live tissues is challenging, making numerical simulations, such as the finite element method, essential for studying skin temperature distribution and evaluating cooling strategies. This study aims to develop a finite element model to simulate the thermal response of human skin during and after heat exposure and to compare the effectiveness of various first-aid cooling methods. A 2D finite element code was developed in C programming language, with key assumptions including negligible metabolic heat generation and perfect thermal contact between the skin and a hot disk at 90°C for 15 seconds. Post-burn cooling strategies analyzed include ambient air, water immersion, flowing water jets, ice, and cryogenic spray. The results demonstrate that ice cooling was the most effective, reducing epidermal temperature to 0 °C within 32 seconds, though it poses risks of hypothermia. Water jets using forced convection were the second most efficient, lowering tissue temperature below critical damage thresholds 35% faster than water immersion. Cryogenic spray cooling, despite its rapid localized effect, was less effective due to limited tissue coverage. The finite element analysis provided quantitative insights into temperature reductions across skin layers and calculated burn damage integrals over time for each method. This study highlights the critical role of finite element modeling in understanding post-burn treatment dynamics. The findings provide guidance for selecting optimal cooling strategies and serve as a basis for developing advanced cooling devices and refining first-aid protocols.

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