Time Series Measurement of Force Distribution in Ice Hockey Helmets

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Time Series Measurement of Force Distribution in Ice Hockey Helmets Time Series Measurement of Force Distribution in Ice Hockey Helmets during Varying Impact Conditions Ryan Andrew Ouckama Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada March 2013 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology and Physical Education Ryan Ouckama, 2013. All rights reserved. ii ABSTRACT Modern sport helmets have been effective in reducing catastrophic head injuries such as skull fracture and subdural hematoma; yet, the high prevalence of minor traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) is an unresolved public health concern. Consequently, there is a need for greater scrutiny in a helmet’s ability to mitigate collision forces that may correspond to mTBI risk. Current safety standards primarily assess a helmet’s ability to minimize the whole head’s peak acceleration during blunt impacts. Absent are dynamic measures local to the impact site itself due to the technical challenge to spatial map high impact force magnitudes with high temporal resolution. Inclusion of the latter measures may enhance the functional assessment of helmets. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop a localized impact mapping system (LIMS) for placement between the helmet and head interface and then to utilize the LIMS to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of various padding foams and helmets during controlled headform drop and projectile collision tests. Interposed between the helmet shell/padding and head surface, this LIMS consists of an array of discrete, thin force sensors connected to a compact signal conditioner and high speed data acquisition digital recorder. A first study demonstrated the feasibility of the LIMS to accurately capture impact events in terms of both force magnitude and temporal response. The results of this initial study demonstrated that the system could capture impact forces with acceptable error (~5%) and high correlation (0.97) between measures of global force and the sensor array. Furthermore, the LIMS demonstrated the ability to capture impact “footprints” that functionally differentiated material properties of density and temperature. A second study incorporated the LIMS as part of a standard controlled surrogate headform drop test iii for blunt impacts. The LIMS performed equally well on the curved cranial surface geometry of the headform and was able to differentiate unique impact contact distribution patterns based on the ice hockey helmet model’s shell and padding configurations, including identification of high focal force concentrations (>16 MPa) during side impact. Of note, global head impact acceleration measures did not correspond to the magnitude of localized contact forces (R2=0.22), but did correspond to net global contact force (R2=0.98). A third study used the LIMS between a Hybrid III surrogate headform and an ice hockey helmet during controlled puck projectile collisions. The LIMS was effective at capturing local force distributions dynamics for short impact events lasting 2-4 ms, and again was able to distinguish between varied helmet model’s padding materials and installed configurations. Five helmet models were subject to highly localized puck impact at two different velocities (V1=24.2 m/s, V2=33.3 m/s). At V2, peak contact pressures, averaged across all helmet models, were nearly double (393 N/cm2) those recorded at the same location during vertical drop testing (201 N/cm2). Again, linear acceleration data did not discern these differences in localized pressures. In summary, this novel testing approach provides an instrument for the assessment of helmet design and material properties on local impact dynamics, and demonstrates merit as an industrial and research tool to enhance head protection. iv ABRÉGÉ Les casques de sport modernes ont été efficaces pour réduire les traumatismes crâniens sévères tels que les fractures du crâne et les hématomes sous- duraux. Malgré tout, la prévalence élevée des lésions cérébrales traumatiques mineures reste un problème de santé publique non résolu. Par conséquence, il existe un besoin important pour un examen plus approfondi de la capacité des casques à atténuer les forces de collision qui pourraient correspondre à un risque de traumatisme cérébral mineur. Les normes actuelles évaluent principalement l’efficacité des casques à minimiser les accélérations maximales de la tête lors d’impacts contondants. L’absence de mesures dynamiques locales, plus précisément au site d'impact, est surtout dû au défi technique qui est d’insérer des matrices sensorielles avec une haute résolution temporelle. Le développement de cette dernière technique de mesure pourrait améliorer l'évaluation fonctionnelle des casques en général. Ainsi, l'objectif principal de cette recherche était de développer un système de cartographie d’impact local (CIL) tout en permettant l’insertion de ce système entre le casque et la tête, et ainsi, utiliser le CIL afin d'évaluer les caractéristiques mécaniques de differentes mousses de rembourrage et différents casques au cours de chute et de collision contrôlée sur une fausse tête. Interposé entre la calotte/rembourrage et la surface de la tête, ce CIL est constitué d'un réseau de capteurs de force discrets, minces, connectés à une grande vitesse d'acquisition de données numériques. Une première étude a démontré la faisabilité d’utiliser le CIL pour capturer avec précision des événements d'impact en termes d’amplitude et de force ainsi que la réponse temporelle. Par ailleurs, le CIL a démontré la capacité de capturer les «empreintes» v d'impact et de différencier fonctionnellement divers matériaux en mousse et des densités. Une deuxième étude a intégré le CIL dans le cadre d'une norme d'essai contrôlé de fausse tête de substitution lors de chute sur objets contondants. Le CIL s'est révélé tout aussi précis sur la géométrie de la surface crânienne courbe et a été en mesure de différencier les modèles uniques d'impact de contact de distribution basé sur le modèle de coque des casques de hockey et de configurations de remplissage, y compris l'identification de concentrations élevées de force de contact (>16 MPa). Fait à noter, l'impact global des mesures d'accélération de la tête ne correspond pas nécessairement à l'ampleur des forces d'intervention (R2=0.22). Une troisième étude a utilisé le CIL entre une fausse tête de substitution Hybrid III et un casque de hockey sur glace lors de collisions de projectiles. Le CIL est efficace pour capturer des distributions locales de forces dynamiques lors d’événements de moins de 4 ms, et encore une fois a été en mesure de faire la distinction entre les matériaux de rembourrage des modèles de casques variés. En résumé, cette approche de test innovatrice s'est avérée être un instrument précis pour l'évaluation de la conception du casque et des propriétés des matériaux sur la dynamique d’impact local, et démontre le mérite d'un outil industriel et de recherche visant à améliorer la protection de la tête. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... x List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... xiv List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 1 Statement of Originality ........................................................................................................ 2 Contribution of Authors ....................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Rationale ....................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.1 Principal objective................................................................................................ 9 1.2.2 Objective: Chapter 3............................................................................................ 9 1.2.3 Objective: Chapter 4.......................................................................................... 11 1.2.4 Objective- Chapter 5 ......................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ......................................................................................... 13 2.1 Anatomical and Physical Properties of the Human Head ................................... 15 2.1.1 The Skull ............................................................................................................. 15 2.1.2 The Brain ............................................................................................................ 17 2.2 Head Injury Classification ........................................................................................ 19 2.2.1 Skull Fracture .....................................................................................................
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