Testing the shock protection performance of Type I construction helmets using impactors of different masses

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wu, John Z.^a; | Pan, Christopher S.^a; | Ronaghi, Mahmood^a | Wimer, Bryan M.^a

Affiliations: [a] National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: John Z. Wu and Christopher S. Pan, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. E-mails: [email protected] (JZW) and [email protected] (CSP)

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Wearing protective helmets is an important prevention strategy to reduce work-related traumatic brain injuries. The existing standardized testing systems are used for quality control and do not provide a quantitative measure of the helmet performance. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the failure characterizations of Type I industrial helmets and develop a generalized approach to quantify the shock absorption performance of Type I industrial helmets based on the existing standardized setups. METHODS:A representative basic Type I construction helmet model was selected for the study. Top impact tests were performed on the helmets at different drop heights using two different impactor masses (3.6 and 5.0 kg). RESULTS:When the helmets were impacted with potential impact energies smaller than the critical potential impact energy values, there was a consistent relationship between the peak impact force and the potential impact energy. When the helmets were impacted under potential impact energies greater than the critical potential impact energy values, the peak impact forces increased steeply with increasing potential impact energy. CONCLUSION:A concept of safety margin for construction helmets based on potential impact energy was introduced to quantify the helmets’ shock absorption performance. The proposed method will help helmet manufacturers improve their product quality.

Keywords: Construction helmet, experiment, impact test, shock protection performance, safety margin

DOI: 10.3233/BME-230173

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 351-363, 2024