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Performance of baseball headgear

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California

J. Michael Kabo, PhD

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California

An experiment was conducted to ascertain the effec tiveness of commercially available baseball headgear in a simulated environment where the head of the batter is struck. Using a compressed air cannon, baseballs were fired at an instrumented headform at frontal and temporal locations with and without a helmet. Striking velocities ranged from 50 to 120 mph and rebound velocities were 1/3 to of that of the initial speed. Additional impact tests were conducted on equivalent flat helmet sections backed by a rigid steel plate, the results of which seemed to indicate that the materials and configurations currently em ployed do little to dissipate the energy of the striker. Head accelerations in excess of 1,000 G were mea sured, but quantitative injury potential could not be assessed since no applicable tolerances currently ex ist. We concluded that the incorporation of additional external padding on the plastic shell of the helmet and/or modifications of the suspension would signifi cantly improve the energy absorption capabilities of the helmet and further minimize the possibility of head trauma.

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