Evaluation of Helmet Protection during Impact of Head to Ground and Impact of an Object to Head Using Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

This report describes the results of a research project focused on helmet protection under impact of head to ground, and impact of an object to head. Three kinds of helmets were considered: construction, motorcycle and bicycle helmets. The goal of this project is to check the amount of stress absorbed by the skull and brain during the impact, as well as evaluate the maximum capacity of helmet protection. The material used for each helmet was the most common material in the current market, in order to make the results more realistic. The analysis consists of dynamic simulation of an impact in the helmet using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). First, the models were meshed using Hypermesh. After the modeling phase, analyses were made using ABAQUS (a computer aided engineering program) that shows the stresses and displacements experienced by the whole system: helmet, skull and brain. The results obtained from the analysis were displayed on charts that show the effect of the helmet based on different boundary conditions such as object height for the hard hat, and the rider speed for the bicycle and motorcycle helmets.