Protective Headgear With Layered Viscoelastic Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing football helmets fail to adequately protect players from concussions and subconcussive impacts, potentially exacerbating brain injuries and neck injuries by allowing nearly elastic collisions that conserve and amplify impact forces.
Innovation Solution
A protective headgear with a core and multiple impact absorbing layers, including exterior and interior systems, composed of materials like carbon fiber and viscoelastic foam, designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy, conform to the wearer's head, and reduce gaps for enhanced protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the helmet structure is made rigid to provide structural support and protection, then strength and durability are improved, but the helmet cannot absorb impact energy and instead conserves it through elastic collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The helmet design incorporates materials and structures with varying mechanical parameters across different layers. The outer shell maintains high rigidity and strength for structural support, while the inner layers use materials with lower rigidity and higher damping characteristics (viscoelasticity) to absorb impact energy. This gradient in mechanical parameters allows the helmet to simultaneously provide structural support and dissipate impact energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The helmet includes pre-positioned impact-absorbing layers between the hard shell and the wearer's head. These cushioning layers (foam, gel, or liquid-filled compartments) are designed to deform and dissipate energy before impacts reach the brain, providing beforehand protection against impact energy transmission while maintaining the structural integrity of the outer shell.
2Ease of manufacture
If existing helmets are designed with simple structure for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but they fail to provide adequate protection from concussions and subconcussive impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The helmet is designed as an assembly of separate components (outer shell, impact-absorbing layers, lining) that can be manufactured independently using conventional processes and then assembled. This segmentation maintains ease of manufacture while allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function, including the incorporation of complex multi-layer impact absorption systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The helmet uses composite material constructions that can be manufactured using established industrial processes such as injection molding, foam injection, and adhesive bonding. The combination of rigid shell materials and viscoelastic impact-absorbing materials provides advanced concussion protection while remaining compatible with conventional manufacturing methods through standardized material selection and assembly procedures.
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
The headgear effectively reduces the occurrence of concussions and subconcussive impacts, minimizing force transmission to the brain and neck, thereby reducing the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other injuries.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of impact absorbing layers can comprise an outer layer configured to contact a head of a wearer of the protective headgear. The outer layer can be configured to conform to the head of the wearer and reduce any gaps between the outer layer and the head of the wearer.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective headgear can include a core and two or more impact absorbing layers coupled to the core. At least one impact absorbing layer can include a number of impact absorbing components that are configured to absorb and reduce the force of impact incident on the protective headgear. The impact absorbing materials can employ cylindrical segments of viscoelastic foam with a sealed central void to absorb high energy impacts. The protective helmet can reduce the occurrence of concussions and subconcussive impacts to the brain.