Safety Evaluation of Helmet and Other Mass Additions to the Head

Abstract

The biodynamic effects of helmet and other mass additions to the head have been of concern for more than two decades. The Naval Biodynamics Laboratory (NBDL) has performed a series of -X acceleration exposure experiments using Navy volunteers in which the dynamic response of the head was measured as a function of mass distribution variations. The kinematic response was measured for each subject with no mass addition, a helmet and weight-carrying frame, and a helmet with weights positioned on the frame symmetrically about the mid-sagittal plane. There was approximately a 30 percent addition to the head mass with these weights. Safety monitoring procedures for this investigation illustrate: (a) Computer-based methods which may apply during helmet design; and (b) experimental procedures which may be applied to assess helmet safety test and evaluation.

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