Expanded Microsphere Inner Pad for Sport Helmet Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sport helmets, such as those for hockey, lacrosse, and football, face a challenge in balancing impact resistance and shock absorption with weight reduction, as they often rely on rigid outer shells and conventional shock-absorbing materials that can be heavy and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The sport helmet design incorporates an outer shell with adjustable size and an inner pad featuring a core of expanded polymeric microspheres encapsulated in a polymeric shell, combined with a covering to enhance shock absorption and reduce weight, utilizing polymeric cellular material for improved impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional shock-absorbing materials are used in the inner pad, then shock absorption is provided, but weight of the helmet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner pad utilizes polymeric cellular material with a porous structure comprising expanded polymeric microspheres. This cellular/porous structure provides effective shock absorption through energy dissipation in the cellular walls while maintaining low density and weight, directly resolving the contradiction between shock absorption performance and helmet weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner pad is constructed as a composite material system combining polymeric cellular material (expanded polymeric microspheres) with a covering layer. This composite structure integrates the shock-absorbing properties of the cellular material with the protective and structural properties of the covering, achieving both shock absorption and weight reduction compared to conventional solid materials.
2Strength
If rigid material is used for the outer shell to provide impact resistance, then strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The helmet design applies local quality by using rigid material for the outer shell where impact resistance is needed, while using lightweight polymeric cellular material for the inner pad where shock absorption is needed. This localized material selection optimizes both strength and weight by matching material properties to specific functional requirements of different helmet regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design provides enhanced shock absorption while reducing the weight of the helmet, offering improved protection and comfort for athletes by leveraging the lightweight and effective shock-absorbing properties of expanded polymeric microspheres within a polymeric cellular material framework.
Implementation Method 1
an inner pad mounted to the internal side of the outer shell for absorbing shocks when the sport helmet is impacted. The inner pad comprises a core of polymeric cellular material comprising expanded polymeric microspheres
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing an article of sport gear, the method comprising: providing a first component; making a second component by: (i) applying heat to expand polymeric microspheres each comprising a polymeric shell and a fluid encapsulated in the polymeric shell to produce a core of polymeric cellular material that comprises a first side and a second side opposite one another and a body of expanded polymeric microspheres; (ii) molding a covering onto the core of polymeric cellular material such that the covering covers at least part of the first side and at least part of the second side of the core of polymeric cellular material; and mounting the second component to the first component.