Date of Award

6-12-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2020.

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Godfrey Mungal

Abstract

High rates of concussion in the NFL suggest that helmet technology is not satisfactory for the athletes, and soft foam padding has dominated the helmet industry since its inception. The team proposed that implementing a fluid-based hydrolastic suspension system in the helmet would reduce the risk of concussions at all levels of competition. After using COMSOL to successfully model fluid flow through the dampers and after physical testing on dampers filled with air and water lead to increased "time to stop" of an average of 240% when compared to traditional foam padding, the team concluded that the dampers showed promise and the potential to benefit the padding potential of football helmets and decrease the risk of concussion for football athletes.

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