My Helmet Design In order for a helmet to be acceptable it must meet safety requirements and proper standards. The helmet must be able to absorb impact while withstanding force and friction to keep the head safe. A head injury can mean brain injury. Helmets protect bones and the brain from serious impact which results in injury. Without helmets, many more motorcycle and car accidents would be fatal. For my Helmet Design I chose to create a red motorcycle shaped helmet. I added space near the chin to minimize impact results on your head and brain if flung forward in an accident. I stuck to the general helmet guidelines to secure that my helmet covers the entire head and eyes- with a glass shield. The helmet part is made of a light plastic material that absorbs impact. My overall product is safe, fashionable, and effective.
Special Design For the design of my helmet I want to print a lined design to show the different angles and curves and how the helmet holds the head. Most helmets have a plainly printed color as the design but I wanted to make my helmet unique.
Helmet Safety Standards FMVSS 218 sets standards in three areas of helmet performance: The apparatus for testing a helmet retention system under DOT (FMVSS 218) standards -impact attenuation -basically energy absorption -penetration resistance -retention system effectiveness -new product labeling requirements. The standard also requires peripheral vision to be not less than 105° from the helmet midline. Projections from the surface of the helmet (snaps, rivets, etc.) may not exceed 5 mm. The impact test measures acceleration of a headform inside the helmet when it is dropped from a fixed height onto a spherical and flat surfaced anvil. The standard allows a peak acceleration energy of 400 G (G being “gravity constant” or an acceleration value of ft. per second x seconds). The penetration test involves dropping a piercing test striker onto the helmet from a fixed height. The striker must not penetrate deep enough to contact the headform. The retention system test involves placing the helmet’s retention straps under load in tension. For this test the load is progressive; first a load of 22.7 kg (49.9 lb.) is applied for 30 seconds, then it is increased to 136 kg (299.2 lb.) for 120 seconds, with measurement of the stretch or displacement of a fixed point on the retention strap from the apex of the helmet.
Key Concepts ACCELERATION is a change in speed over a period of time; the higher the acceleration, the faster the change in speed. For example, if a car goes from 0 miles per hour (mph) to 60 mph in 2 seconds, it is a higher acceleration than if the car goes from 0 mph to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Acceleration is a rate of change of speed; NO change means NO acceleration. If something is moving at constant speed, it is NOT accelerating. COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION is the measurement of the level of friction embodied in a particular material. The formula is μ = f/N, where μ is the coefficient of friction, f, is the amount of force that resists motion, and N is the normal force. Normal force is the force at which one surface is being pushed into another. CRUMPLE ZONES are areas of an object designed to deform and crumple in an impact, as a means to absorb the energy of a collision. The fronts of most automobiles are designed as crumple zones to protect the passengers from frontal collisions. DRAG is a term used in fluid dynamics that is sometimes referred to as air resistance or fluid resistance. Friction is one of multiple factors that influence the amount of drag encountered by a body moving through a fluid such as air or water. INERTIA: when an object remains still or moves in a constant direction at a constant speed. G FORCE: a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity, informally described in units of acceleration equal to one g. FRICTION is a force that resists motion when two objects or surfaces come in contact. FORCE causes masses to accelerate; they are influences that cause a change of movement, direction, or shape. When you press on an object, you are exerting a force on it. When a robot is accelerating, it does so because of the force its wheels exert on the floor. Force is measured in units such as pounds or newtons. For instance, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity (accelerating the object towards the center of the earth). KINETIC FRICTION (or dynamic friction) occurs when two objects are moving relative to each other and rub together (like a sled on the ground).
REFLECTION This project was interesting in many ways. It was cool to learn how to use the 360 Auto Desk technology. Researching and designing my helmet gave me a better outlook on all the work that goes into making the best helmet possible while learning about safety features. Helmets are used in our everyday lives and can truly make the difference between life or death. It was very interesting to expand deeply on this topic and gain a greater understanding of this everyday item.