How safe are whitewater helmets?

AJAS · 2022 Engineering

Brock Duma

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Overview

There are more than 6 million people who participate in whitewater kayaking and rafting in the United States each year. Of these 6 million participants, there are over 50 whitewater related deaths each year, which makes it have one of the highest fatality risks of all sports. As the popularity in whitewater activities grows, the number of injuries, including concussions, also increases. The objective of this study was to create a rating system for whitewater helmets by evaluating the biomechanical performance and risk of head injury of whitewater helmets using the Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk (STAR) system. All watersport helmets that passed the EN: 1385: 2012 standard, and that were clearly marketed for whitewater use were selected for this study. A total of 21 helmets were found, and 2 models of each helmet were tested. A custom pendulum impactor was used to test the helmets under conditions which are known to be associated with the highest risk of head injury and death. The struck head consisted of a NOCSAE head and Hybrid III 50th percentile neck, with the head form instrumented with three linear accelerometers, and a triaxial angular rate sensor. For this study, 126 tests were performed at six different configurations. The helmets were tested at 3.1 m/s and 4.9 m/s with impacts to the front, rear, and side for each speed. The velocities were chosen given that the highest recorded flow rate in a whitewater river is 5 m/s, which implies that it is very unlikely that any underwater head impact will have a head impact speed greater than 5 m/s. Each helmet's STAR value was calculated using the combination of exposure and injury risk that was determined by the linear and rotational accelerations. The resulting head impact accelerations predicted a very high risk of concussion for all impact locations with the 4.9 m/s impact speed. The STAR values varied between helmets, indicating that some helmets provide better protection than others. Overall, these results show a clear need for improvement in whitewater helmets, and the methodologies developed in this research project should provide manufacturers a path to improving their products.

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