History
The History of the helmet is somewhat unknown. The first helmets date back to 900 BC,
and were worn by warriors. They were then made of leather, but later evolved into thin sheets of
metal. Fast-forward to the second world war, motorcycles were used widely for recon, transport,
and everything in between. However, the thought of the helmet then didn’t exist unlike today
where we don’t dare ride without one. The war rages on, people dying every day, but one death
in particular struck several close to home. T.E. Lawrence died at age 46 while fighting in the
world war. He was a very famous British officer, several films and books were made about his
life. What took his life? An awful motorcycle crash which led to serious head
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The next type of
helmet is the fiberglass helmet. This helmet has a fiberglass outer shell which is very useful. This
shell flexes with impact making your skull safer and absorb less impact. This helmet though is
much more expensive than any old plastic one. The third and most expensive helmet you can buy
is the Kevlar and carbon fiber mix helmet. Kevlar is a very strong material, able to stop bullets
and shrapnel. But in a helmet it is surprisingly useless unless softened by another material like
carbon fiber. The Kevlar in helmets by itself would just bounce absorbing no impact leading to
whiplash and concussions. However, when used with carbon fiber, it flexes and absorbs impact,
while still staying firm to protect your head. This helmet is the lightest helmet on the market, and
quite frankly the most durable and effective. (Fort Nine)
How effective is it?
All helmets must undergo testing and pass standards done by all different kinds of
groups. Some of the tests involve putting a helmet in a vice like contraption and dropping a
weight with a sharp point on it onto the helmet. A device is placed inside the helmet to see
Helmets are safer because today they are featured with vinyl pads inside the helmet that could be filled with air to further absorb impact. The Rams were the first ever team to design their helmets. Shoulder pads were made from plastic material, but now they are more bulky and protective. Players use to hit each other below the waist so L.P. Smock invented the first padded pant. Walter Camp noticed the injuries that were happening so he needed to change and make new rules that would make the game safer.
With regards to protecting players it is the duty of the NOCSAE. Established in 1969 it has been there duty to enhance athletic gear and subsequently, decrease injury's. One thing that the NOCSEA has been taking a shot at for quite a while is renovating helmets. There has been numerous contention over head protectors on the grounds that the cerebrum is the most vital piece of your body and without it you can not work as a typical individual. The assignment of repairing helmets is one that has been separated to a science. The whole procedure is altogether done by hand by an expert licenses by the NOCSAE. The laborers need to ensure that every helmet that is refurbished meets the NOCSAE code before being transported out and put into play. The Process of repairing an old head helmet is to make it completley safe without any bad air pads or cracks in the helmet that could hurt someone. The procedure comprises of stripping down a protective cap by taking out the greater part of the cushioning. After that a specialist will scrape down all the scratches and imprints. The last part of the repairing procedure is the layering of puddy that will seal up any breaks of profound scratches that could be unsafe to a competitor when being used. After the repairs are done the cap will then be cleaned and put through many tests before it can be painted and transported
the helmet covers your whole face and head in order to protect you face from getting kicked in the face after getting bucked off. wearing a helmet is required if you are under 19 years of age. i feel that the helmet should be required for all ages.( in bull-riding you try to stay on a wild, 2,000 pound bull, some with horns the size of my arm. These bulls have tight straps around there butt to make them kick and jump harder. And all you have to hold on to is a single rope. if you fall of, the bull can stomp, trample, or horn you, and you could break bones from the fall (bull riding, 2015). So in the case of safety i feel that helmets should be required for all ages and at all
helmet with rounded surfaces to deflect blows. A removable or hinged visor was fitted to make breathing easier, and padding was riveted for additional comfort” (Hilliam 20). By the middle of the fourteenth century, the chainmail was basically abandoned and plate armor was much more desired. It had “glancing surfaces” and it protected knights from arrows far better than the mail (Hilliam 32). But over time, knights seek more extensive armor and simultaneously, bigger horses were needed in order to carry the weight and bigger lances made from tree trunks (Hilliam 17).
The issue of multiple concussions is finally becoming recognized by major sports. The awareness has led to a variety of interventions to help protect athletes. There have been two recent interventions concerning football helmets. First off, Riddell, a company that produces football helmets, has released a new helmet that is supposed to best prevent concussions. This helmet is known as the Revolution Speed. Using advanced technology, the Speed helmets were designed around the head 's center of gravity and include an uneven outer shell to help absorb a hit. The inside of the
This was a replacement to the leather ones; the first chinstrap was made to help protect the chin better than what the old leather ones had which was a strap. It was many years later the first facemask was put on but only due to a player having a broken jaw but caught on the next season. They slowly started adding pads that can be aired up. In the 1990’s they introduced the VSR, became very popular and is still used by older players till this day. The 2000’s brought a new helmet called the Revolution; the helmets intent was to reduce concussions. 2008 they introduced the helmet have the Speed that was redesign of the Revo but added cushion to make it more comfortable, it quickly became the most popular helmet by players pro and college. Years later came the Revo-speed 360, uses the facemask to disperse the hits on the frontal helmet. The newest helmet to be introduced is the Speed-flex; same technology has the 360 but lighter and a added give point on the crown point of the helmet. This is quickly over taking the football world has the most comfortable and safest helmet on the
In 2015 28% of injuries occurred to the head or face, including concussions. High school injuries are so high because most people are just learning and don’t understand the right way to tackle so they lead with their head. High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year (Mills 2016).What Highschool started to use was the ZERO1 helmet. It has four core layers. The layers are (outside-In) Lode shell, Core layer, Arch shell, and form linear. The hard shell is the most important because it allows the helmet to not collapse when the player hits the ground (“The Safest Helmet in Football Is Set to Make Its NFL Debut"). The helmet stays straight, and the padding gives the player cushion when tackled.
Helmets are a major guideline that needs to be improved because a helmet is there to protect the head and prevent concussions but it doesn't seem to be doing a good job. Now there's always that question of “why don't we just make the helmet better and more equipped to prevent concussions?”, well we've had football around for years now and if it hasn't been done yet I don't think it will ever be done. According to the North Eastern Undergraduate Writing Journal, since the 1970s, helmets have been made with a polycarbonate shell, a steel face mask, and padding which is just foam and inflatable air bladders. Even though modern helmets maybe more
Statistics have proven that about 300,000 cases are reported annually, many of which are high school students due to sports or strenuous activities. Many coaches could argue that technology has given us the ability to create helmets that could ultimately absorb the shock impacts from a blow to the
That is safe because the helmets have big pads inside the shell to support the head on contact. The the next reason that safety gear is safe is the shoulder pads. The shoulder pads help because they make the player lower their shoulder so they don’t get hurt/injured. The pads go on the shoulders and chest of a player. The shoulder pads protect the player from fractured bones in the upper body area. A neck roll will go on a player's shoulder pads and around their neck. It helps the neck and head because when the player gets hit in the head the neck roll will stop their helmet from bending
A team of researchers and engineers at the University of Michigan undertook a four-year challenge sponsored by the NFL to create a helmet with better protection from brain injuries from sports. Current helmets worn by football players, including the pros, reduce the force put on the skull during a collision. However, the current helmets do
According to data collected from a study done from multiple collegiate teams between 2005 and 2010, sensors within helmets help measure head acceleration, which in turn provides better stability against heavy hits. The data within the study came from “helmets worn by 1833 players” (Staff) Each player either wore a Riddell VSR4 or wore a Riddell Revolution (different helmet types). Surprisingly, concussion rates differed between each helmet. “Results revealed a 54% reduction in concussion risk for players wearing the Revolution helmets compared to players in the VSR4.” The Medical Staff maintains that “Players with VSR4 helmets experienced higher head accelerations due to impact than those who wore Revolution helmets. Researchers attribute this to the Revolution helmets' ability to better modulate the energy transfer from the impact to the head, resulting in lower head accelerations. Lower head accelerations, in turn, reduces the risk of concussion.” Helmet design is crucial in lowering the risk of head injury; the measurement and and reduction of head acceleration is a key component in injury
Challenges erupt in the testing methods created to predict head injuries. Post et al. Stated that the vastly used testing methods, rotation and linear testing are not suitable in predicting concussions. The creation of the Head Impact Telemetry System(HIT) and Summation of test for the Analysis of Risk(Star) offered ways to measure the quality of the helmet. With that, future innovation and technological improvements will provide better insight in understanding these test and concussion. Still, regardless of the effectiveness, helmets will never be the perfect protection. One way or another there is difficulty in the matter in advancing technology to provide safety.
The creation of the Head Impact Telemetry System (HIT) and Star System offered ways to measure helmets in the level of protectiveness. Despite its capability of measuring linear acceleration and impact location, the HIT system is unable to measure angular acceleration accurately(2). Scholars state rotational and linear is not suitable in predicting concussions(5).With that, future innovation and improvement will provide better insight in understanding these test and concussions(1). Still,Regardless of the effectiveness of the product, helmets will never be perfect in preventing injuries(1).
American football has been around for over one hundred years, and along with the sport has been the need to provide proper safety for the players. An assortment of padding has been instituted in the game that protects against most blunt trauma including blows to the shoulders, mid section, and legs. In an attempt to prevent fracture of the skull, helmets were designed. However, studies have shown that helmets do little to nothing to prevent concussive damage to the brain. A polycarbonate shell is used as the outer housing for regulation football helmets, but along with this material, the materials used on the inside of the helmet are just as, if not more, important. The purpose of this report is to analyze the materials used in current football helmet design and the improvements being made in the field of materials science in order to combat the severe number of concussions suffered by NFL players.