New Metrologies to Assess the Dynamic Response of Soft Protective Materials used in Helmets and Pads

Published

October 1, 2018

Author(s)

Aaron Forster, Michael Riley

Abstract

Blunt trauma and brain injury can occur during impacts at energies and velocities below those observed in ballistic and blast events. During low to medium velocity impacts, the shell prevents helps to prevent bone fractures and the padding helps limit the maximum linear or rotational acceleration of the head. Current test methods focus on the helmet and padding as a system (pad + shell) to quantify protective levels the equipment provides for the user. System level tests involve complicated loading paths, that make it difficult to determine the performance of the padding material within the helmet system to reduce the effects of impact. This lack of information complicates the process for improving helmet materials. NIST has recently developed a set of metrologies to quantify the impact mitigating properties of soft, non-linear materials under a broad range of impact energies and loading scenarios. These measurements can provide a more complete picture of material performance in order to guide incorporation of new materials into the helmet or padding system. This presentation will describe these metrologies and demonstrate their usefulness on several common energy absorbing materials.

Proceedings Title

Personal Armour Systems Symposium

Conference Dates

October 1-5, 2018

Conference Location

washington, DC, US

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

foam, dynamic properties, safety, energy absorption, protective materials

Citation

Forster, A. and Riley, M. (2018), New Metrologies to Assess the Dynamic Response of Soft Protective Materials used in Helmets and Pads, Personal Armour Systems Symposium, washington, DC, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=926299 (Accessed November 25, 2025)