The “zombie” bit in the title is to give a clue about my line of thought behind this thread, and to garner up interest. For practical purposes, though, this question is essentially about normal human anatomy. Which might, just, buy this question enough legitimacy to exist in GQ. Maybe.
Interesting question. Most of the data available concerning fatal overpressure effects on the human body deals with compression/decompression of the lungs, while nonfatal data is available on eardrums and the like. Although I must admit I don’t know the answer to this question, I’ll dig through my textbooks tomorrow at work and see if I can find something relevant. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to find anything about skull cracking, though, as fatal effects in humans occur at much lower impulse levels. We’re usually not too concerned about zombies.
I suspect overpressures high enough to fracture the skull are going to utterly mangle the body, seperate limbs etc. making the zombie’s state of animation irrelevant. (Unless your zombies are of the type where disconnected hands can still “see” and and leap at throats.)
**"Blast injuries typically are divided into four categories: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary (miscellaneous injuries).6 Individuals may sustain multiple injuries in one or more of these categories.
Primary blast injuries are caused by barotrauma (over-pressurization from the blast wave followed quickly by underpressurization). Barotrauma primarily affects gas-containing or gas-fluid interfacing organ systems, with the most frequent injuries occurring to the lungs (rupture of alveolar septa, pulmonary rupture, and edema), bowel (perforation), and inner ear (tympanic membrane rupture).13–15 Animal models suggest that barotraumatic damage to the lungs may result in depletion of antioxidants and associated damage.16
Primary blast injuries to the eye include rupture of the globe, serous retinitis, and hyphema.5 Other possible primary blast injuries include traumatic or partial limb amputation.17 Such injuries make up many wartime casualties.4 Traumatic amputation of any limb is a marker for multisystem injuries.7"**
Skull fractures aren’t mentioned, which suggests that “traumatic or partial limb amputation” occurs at blast levels that don’t result in skull fracture. so depending on your zombies, they’ll be pretty much incapacitated way before their skulls pop.
Another factor of course is frag. Blast is a fairly inefficient method of converting chemical energy into damage, which is why claymore mines and defensive grenades are designed to fragment and/or contain pre-divided munitions. Frag/shrapnel is quite capable of perforating zombie skull, at distances from the explosion where blast is survivable.
Like matt, I can’t seem to find anything about skull fractures. I am glad to report, however, that Paul Cooper, author of “Explosives Engineering”, seems to have a similar sense of humor as myself: “Testing of the response to shock would be rather difficult if we had to use people, especially if we wanted a good statistical sample.”
As mentioned above, not much specific on skull fracturing in the literature.
Question 2 about artillery or rocket barrages causing zombie skull fracture and brain ooze, definitely. A number of munitions are optimized for blast overpressure. Thermobaric weapons are one type. They can be a fuel-air-effect weapon where a highly volatile liquid is first dispersed by a small charge and then detonated after a delay when the fuel cloud to air ratio is optimal. Also a weapon can contain additional reactive metal added to or placed around the main explosive, zirconium or aluminum typically, which increase the heat of the initial explosion. The metals react with the available atmospheric oxygen and the result is a larger gas volume produced for a longer period of time. Bigger pressure impulse.
Air burst for the munition also maximizes blast overpressure. The blast wave reflection off surfaces (ground) reinforces the initial blast wave. You’ll find time fuzes, proximity fuzes, or parachute retarding with a long probe used in projectiles, rockets, missiles, and bombs.
I don’t know too much about Zombie anatomy, but aren’t zombies often partially decomposed or already damaged? I bet it’s a lot easier to crack a partially decomposed skull, or completely destroy one already damaged.
Bone doesn’t decompose like soft tissue. The brain is well protected by the skull. Like an eggshell, it takes a lot of force to crack the skull unless the force is localized to a small area. Just cracking the skull isn’t going to destroy the CNS. I’m assuming zombies don’t have to worry about bleeding in the brain, since their circulatory system isn’t functioning.
Thanks for asking, some of that book annoyed the heck out of me, the inability to destroy zombies with tanks and artillery being one of the main points.
Tell me about it. Just be glad I didn’t start on his opinion of radiation damage against the undead (“instantanious fatal tumors” my ass, Brooks!).
Thanks for the kind responses, though, all…at least we know that, as mentioned in Matt’s post, even non-skull-crushing blast injury would at least leave the zombie blind and deaf. Maybe I can get a grant to study the subject in depth.
Even if it isn’t strong enough to crack the skull, a lesser blast wave could still pulp the brain inside. Zombies do need some bits partially physically intact.
There were a number of techniques mentioned in these books.
Extreme blunt force trauma to the head - WWZ had accounts of a weapon called a lobo(short for "lobo"tomizer) that was specifically designed to do this.
Decapitation - separating the head (and brain) from the body rendered the main body of the undead inert, but the head could still bite and had to be destroyed.
There was an incendiary round that would incinerate the brain when fired into the skull.
The key in this nonsense is that the brain/spinal chord be reasonably intact or connected. The virus basically fundamentally altered the CNS of the victim, and necessarily altered the metabolism of the victim’s body. WWZ repudiated the idea that overpressure had any affect on the undead.
Of course, it’s nonsense. One could certainly consider a virus that rendered a victim irretrievably predatory, a la the 28 Days/Weeks/Years yada yada franchise - a rage/nutsoid virus might well selectively damage the areas of the brain that moderate behavioral restraints.
But the brain is electro-chemical, and tissue wears down. Once the metabolism is sufficiently disrupted, the body cannot function properly - cells aren’t regenerated, neurotransmitters break down and are no longer produced.
It’s hopelessly impossible, but makes for great monster movies.
