The Effect of Football Helmet Inflation on Energy Absorbance

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of football helmet inflation on the amount of energy that the helmet absorbed. Methods/Materials In order to test the hypothesis, an anatomically accurate human analog head was constructed using a mannequin head which was hollowed out and the cranium was replaced with a coconut shell while the remaining space inside the head was filled with simulated cerebrospinal fluid. An accelerometer was placed inside the head and secured to a modeled brain stem. It was used to determine the forces exerted on the human brain and the head was placed inside of a Shutt DNA football helmet. The helmet was then struck in the same place by an air powered pneumatic cylinder pressurized to the same 550 kPa each time to ensure maximum consistency. Results It was found that at lower helmet pressures the energy absorbance was slightly higher (approx. 0.3% difference). At 100% inflation, 99.25% of the energy was absorbed whereas at 80% inflation, 99.34% was absorbed; at 60% inflation, 99.46% was absorbed; at 40% inflation, 99.47% was absorbed; at 20% inflation, 99.48% was absorbed; and at 0% inflation, 99.51% was absorbed. The average deviation was found to be extremely low at 0.026%. Conclusions/Discussion Under normal circumstances the 0.3% difference would have likely been deemed inconclusive, however the human brain is so delicate that this seemingly small energy difference could have a profound clinical impact; especially when considering that for professional players, 0.3% of the impact is still a difference of nearly 7 newtons.

Competition history

• CSEF 2016 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry S0333

Resources

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