Parametric design methods development for the comparison of American football faceguards using validated structural stiffness models

Abstract

Recent advances in headgear design research have sought to inform athletes’ safety related decisions by ranking headgear systems according to impact performance. These rankings have provided athletes with greater agency in their safety-related decisions. Despite these improvements, little quantitative information exists to compare faceguard performance. Using validated structural stiffness finite element models, this study sought to develop a parametric design approach that could be consistently applied to faceguards of different qualitative categories and of different helmet-compatible series. The methods presented in this study detail the objective measurement techniques and parameters of interest used to fully define three common American football faceguards. The results of this study indicate an ability to define parameters consistently for faceguards of different qualitative categories and of different helmet-compatible series. The high degree of correlation between mass and structural stiffness indicates expected model performance – providing increased confidence in results. Intuitively, the greatest effect on mass and structural stiffness was the size of the diameter of the main bars. Increases in mass were achieved with minimal changes in structural stiffness. Conversely, increases in structural stiffness were achieved with minimal changes in mass. These results have implications for manufacturers as some faceguards, such as those classified as “overbuilt,” are banned – in part – for their weight. Future work should continue to compare manufacturers’ original designs and investigate other metrics to further quantify performance and safety for athletes. This tool may be used to improve new faceguard designs by comparing new models to faceguards allowed for use.