Elements of Helmet

- foam inner shell helps protect the head from impact

During a crash, the foam takes the impact and crushes and extends your head’s stopping time
by 6 thousandths of a second
- Squishy fitting pads are for comfort, not impact
- Smooth plastic skin holds the foam together as it crushes, and helps it skid easily on
crash surface
- Rounder helmets are better for rough surface activities as they skid more easily
- Helmet must fit correctly and be level on your head to protect from impact
- Helmets designed for lesser impact don’t necessarily have foam
- Some are hard shells w/ a suspension headband (construction helmets)
- Most bike helmets use polystyrene foam, which doesn’t recover and can’t be used again
after impact
- Hockey and skateboarding helmets use butyl nitrate foam which can rebound and be
used again as they’re designed to withstand impact

Physics of Helmets
Aerodynamics- art and science of minimising drag
Aero helmet- smooths airflow around head and down your back, reducing turbulence
Vents must be sealed off in these to decrease airflow within helmet

Impact Protection
-During a crash, the foam takes the impact and crushes and extends your head’s stopping time
by 6 thousandths of a second
- rotational forces and internal strains are likely to be reduced by the crushing
- thicker foam gives your head more room and more milliseconds to stop
- more force to the brain if the stopping distance is shorter
The ideal “rate sensitive” foam would tune itself for impact, becoming more stiff for a harder one
and less in a moderate hit
Elements of Helmet
- foam inner shell helps protect the head from impact
During a crash, the foam takes the impact and crushes and extends your head’s stopping time
by 6 thousandths of a second
- Squishy fitting pads are for comfort, not impact
- Smooth plastic skin holds the foam together as it crushes, and helps it skid easily on
crash surface
- Rounder helmets are better for rough surface activities as they skid more easily
- Helmet must fit correctly and be level on your head to protect from impact
- Helmets designed for lesser impact don’t necessarily have foam
- Some are hard shells w/ a suspension headband (construction helmets)
 - Most bike helmets use polystyrene foam, which doesn’t recover and can’t be used again
after impact
- Hockey and skateboarding helmets use butyl nitrate foam which can rebound and be
used again as they’re designed to withstand impact

Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion

- States that the acceleration of an object depends on the net force acting upon the object
and the mass of the object
- As the force acting upon the object is increased, the acceleration is also increased
- As the mass of the object is increased, the acceleration decreases
- a= Fnet / m
- Fnet= m x a
- Net force is equated to the product to the product of the mass times the
acceleration

Friction and Mass to Motion

- Kinetic friction- occurs when 2 objects are moving relative to each other and rub together
(like a sled on the ground)
- Coefficient of friction- measurement of the level of friction embodied in a particular
material
- Frictional force depends on nature of the object and the friction of the surface itself, and
the force between the object and the surface
- So the object will be harder to push across the surface if the downward force of
the object (mass) increases

Structure and Materials of Helmet

The inner liner is made of expanded polystyrene, which absorbs part of the impact’s force. The
outer shell is made of fiberglass mixed with kevlar. These two materials are firm enough to take
great force to crack, further lessening the impact of a crash.

Sources
http://www.intelligent-triathlon-training.com/aero-helmet.html
https://helmets.org/general.htm
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Second-Law