Design of an American Football Helmet Liner for Concussion Mitigation

The objective of this research was to develop an optimal design for a polymeric American football helmet liner for concussion prevention utilizing experiments and high performance. Along with well-established injury criteria (HIC, SI, and Peak acceleration), localized brain injury mechanisms were explored by employing Finite Element simulations and experimental validation. Varying strain rate experiments (monotonic and hysteresis) were conducted on modern football helmet (Rush, Rawlings, Riddell, Schutt, and Xenith) liners and new possible polymeric foam liner materials. These experiments were used to characterize each material at low strain rates (0.1/sec; Instron), intermediate strain rates (100-120/sec; NOCSAE drop tower) and high strain rates (600-1000/sec; Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar). Experimental design optimization was performed on a football helmet liner by utilizing an exploratory Design of Experiments by National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) drop tests. FEA simulations of drop impact tests were conducted on a helmeted NOCSAE headform model and a helmeted human head model. Correlations were made between both models to relate localized brain response to the global acceleration and the dynamic-based injury criteria HIC, SI, and Peak acceleration). FEA simulations were experimentally validated by twin-wire drop tests of the NOCSAE headform using correlations for validation of the human head model. The helmeted human head simulations were used to explore a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) limits based localized brain response (e.g. pressure and impulse). Based on these limits, future FEA simulations will be used to explore these limits as helmet liner design criteria.

Year	Entry
1971	Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE. Tolerances for cerebral concussion from head impact and whiplash in primates. J Biomech. 1971;4(1):13-21.
1974	Ommaya AK, Gennarelli TA. Cerebral concussion and traumatic unconsciousness: correlation of experimental and clinical observations of blunt head injuries. Brain. December 1974;97(4):633-654.
1949	Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. Studies on skull fracture with particular reference to engineering factors. Am J Surg. November 1949;78(5):736-742.
2007	Kleiven S. Predictors for traumatic brain injuries evaluated through accident reconstructions. Stapp Car Crash J. 2007;51:81-114. SAE 2007-22-0003.
2012	Rowson S, Duma SM, Beckwith JG, Chu JJ, Greenwald RM, Crisco JJ, Brolinson PG, Duhaime A-C, McAllister TW, Maerlender AC. Rotational head kinematics in football impacts: an injury risk function for concussion. Ann Biomed Eng. January 2012;40(1):1-13.
2011	Rowson S, Duma SM. Development of the STAR evaluation system for football helmets: integrating player head impact exposure and risk of concussion. Ann Biomed Eng. August 2011;39(8):2130-2140.
1965	Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR, Patrick LM. Concussion: mechanism and pathology. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:470-482.
2008	Marjoux D, Baumgartner D, Deck C, Willinger R. Head injury prediction capability of the HIC, HIP, SIMon and ULP criteria. Accid Anal Prev. May 2008;40(3):1135-1148.
2008	Greenwald RM, Gwin JT, Chu JJ, Crisco JJ. Head impact severity measures for evaluating mild traumatic brain injury risk exposure. Neurosurgery. April 2008;62(4):789-798.
1965	Patrick LM, Lissner HR, Gurdjian ES. Survival by design: head protection. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:483-499.
2000	Newman J, Barr C, Beusenberg M, Fournier E, Shewchenko N, Welbourne E, Withnall C. A new biomechanical assessment of mild traumatic brain injury, II: results and conclusions. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.223-233.
2004	Bayraktar HH, Morgan EF, Niebur GL, Morris GE, Wong EK, Keaveny TM. Comparison of the elastic and yield properties of human femoral trabecular and cortical bone tissue. J Biomech. January 2004;37(1):27-35.
2010	Broglio S, Schnebel B, Sosnoff J, Shin S, Feng X, He Z, Zimmerman J. Biomechanical properties of concussions in high school football. Med Sci Sports Exer. 2010;42(11):2064-2071.
2003	King AI, Yang KH, Zhang L, Hardy W, Viano DC. Is head injury caused by linear or angular acceleration? In: Proceedings of the 2003 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 25, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.1-12.
2013	Boruah S, Henderson K, Subit D, Salzar RS, Shender BS, Paskoff G. Response of human skull bone to dynamic compressive loading. In: Proceedings of the 2013 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 11-13, 2013; Gothenburg, Sweden.497-508.
1970	Hodgson VR, Thomas LM, Prasad P. Testing the validity and limitations of the severity index. In: Proceedings of the 14th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-18, 1970; Ann Arbor, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:169-187. SAE 700901.
1971	Hodgson VR, Thomas LM. Comparison of head acceleration injury indices in cadaver skull fracture. In: Proceedings of the 15th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-19, 1971; Coronado, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:190-206. SAE 710854.
1972	Hodgson VR, Thomas LM. Effect of long-duration impact on head. In: Proceedings of the 16th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-10, 1972; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:292-295. SAE 720956.
1997	Gibson LJ, Ashby MF. Cellular Solids: Structure and Properties. 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1997. Cambridge Solid State Science Series.
1966	Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE, Martinez JL. The role of whiplash in cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:314-324. SAE 660804.
1964	Ommaya AK, Rockoff SD, Baldwin M, Friau WS. Experimental concussion: a first report. J Neurosurg. April 1964;21:249-265.
1950	Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. The mechanism of skull fracture. J Neurosurg. 1950;7(2):106-114.
2000	Newman JA, Shewchenko N, Welbourne E. A proposed new biomechanical head injury assessment function: the maximum power index. Stapp Car Crash J. 2000;44:215-247. SAE 2000-01-SC16.
2010	Gwin JT, Chu JJ, Diamond SG, Halstead PD, Crisco JJ, Greenwald RM. An investigation of the NOCSAE linear impactor test method based on in vivo measures of head impact acceleration in American football. J Biomech Eng. January 2010;132(1):011006.
2005	Newman JA. The biomechanics of head trauma and the development of the modern helmet: how far have we really come? In: Proceedings of the 2005 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 21-23, 2005; Prague, Czech Republic.3-12.
1983	Hodgson VR, Thomas LM, Khalil TB. The role of impact location in reversible cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 27th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 17-19, 1983; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:225-240. SAE 831618.
2012	Viano DC, Withnall C, Halstead D. Impact performance of modern football helmets. Ann Biomed Eng. January 2012;40(1):160-174.
1960	Lissner HR, Lebow M, Evans FG. Experimental studies on the relation between acceleration and intracranial pressure changes in man. Surg Gynecol Obstet. September 1960;111(3):329-338.
2004	Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. A proposed injury threshold for mild traumatic brain injury. J Biomech Eng. 2004;126(2):226-236.
2003	Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI, Viano DC. A new biomechanical predictor for mild traumatic brain injury: a preliminary finding. In: Proceedings of the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE2003). November 15-21, 2003; Washington, DC.137-138.
2006	Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil. September–October 2006;21(5):375-378.
2013	Mao H, Zhang L, Jiang B, Genthikatti VV, Jin X, Zhu F, Makwana R, Gill A, Jandir G, Singh A, Yang KH. Development of a finite element human head model partially validated with thirty five experimental cases. J Biomech Eng. November 2013;135(11):111002.
1966	Gadd CW. Use of a weighted-impulse criterion for estimating injury hazard. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:164-174. SAE 660793.
2005	Viano DC, Casson IR, Pellman EJ, Zhang L, King AI, Yang KH. Concussion in professional football: brain responses by finite element analysis: part 9. Neurosurgery. November 2005;57(5):891-916.
2003	Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker A, Casson IR, Waeckerle JF. Concussion in professional football: reconstruction of game impacts and injuries. Neurosurgery. October 2003;53(4):799-814.
2009	Broglio SP, Sosnoff JJ, Shin S, He X, Alcaraz C, Zimmerman J. Head impacts during high school football: a biomechanical assessment. J Athl Train. August 2009;44(4):342-349.
1971	Versace J. A review of the severity index. In: Proceedings of the 15th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-19, 1971; Coronado, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:771-796. SAE 710881.

Year

Entry

1971

Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE. Tolerances for cerebral concussion from head impact and whiplash in primates. J Biomech. 1971;4(1):13-21.

1974

Ommaya AK, Gennarelli TA. Cerebral concussion and traumatic unconsciousness: correlation of experimental and clinical observations of blunt head injuries. Brain. December 1974;97(4):633-654.

1949

Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. Studies on skull fracture with particular reference to engineering factors. Am J Surg. November 1949;78(5):736-742.

2007

Kleiven S. Predictors for traumatic brain injuries evaluated through accident reconstructions. Stapp Car Crash J. 2007;51:81-114. SAE 2007-22-0003.

2012

Rowson S, Duma SM, Beckwith JG, Chu JJ, Greenwald RM, Crisco JJ, Brolinson PG, Duhaime A-C, McAllister TW, Maerlender AC. Rotational head kinematics in football impacts: an injury risk function for concussion. Ann Biomed Eng. January 2012;40(1):1-13.

2011

Rowson S, Duma SM. Development of the STAR evaluation system for football helmets: integrating player head impact exposure and risk of concussion. Ann Biomed Eng. August 2011;39(8):2130-2140.

1965

Gurdjian ES, Lissner HR, Patrick LM. Concussion: mechanism and pathology. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:470-482.

2008

Marjoux D, Baumgartner D, Deck C, Willinger R. Head injury prediction capability of the HIC, HIP, SIMon and ULP criteria. Accid Anal Prev. May 2008;40(3):1135-1148.

2008

Greenwald RM, Gwin JT, Chu JJ, Crisco JJ. Head impact severity measures for evaluating mild traumatic brain injury risk exposure. Neurosurgery. April 2008;62(4):789-798.

1965

Patrick LM, Lissner HR, Gurdjian ES. Survival by design: head protection. In: Severy DM, ed. Proceedings of the 7th Stapp Car Crash and Field Demonstration Conference. 1963; University of California at Los Angeles. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1965:483-499.

2000

Newman J, Barr C, Beusenberg M, Fournier E, Shewchenko N, Welbourne E, Withnall C. A new biomechanical assessment of mild traumatic brain injury, II: results and conclusions. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.223-233.

2004

Bayraktar HH, Morgan EF, Niebur GL, Morris GE, Wong EK, Keaveny TM. Comparison of the elastic and yield properties of human femoral trabecular and cortical bone tissue. J Biomech. January 2004;37(1):27-35.

2010

Broglio S, Schnebel B, Sosnoff J, Shin S, Feng X, He Z, Zimmerman J. Biomechanical properties of concussions in high school football. Med Sci Sports Exer. 2010;42(11):2064-2071.

2003

King AI, Yang KH, Zhang L, Hardy W, Viano DC. Is head injury caused by linear or angular acceleration? In: Proceedings of the 2003 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 25, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.1-12.

2013

Boruah S, Henderson K, Subit D, Salzar RS, Shender BS, Paskoff G. Response of human skull bone to dynamic compressive loading. In: Proceedings of the 2013 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 11-13, 2013; Gothenburg, Sweden.497-508.

1970

Hodgson VR, Thomas LM, Prasad P. Testing the validity and limitations of the severity index. In: Proceedings of the 14th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-18, 1970; Ann Arbor, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:169-187. SAE 700901.

1971

Hodgson VR, Thomas LM. Comparison of head acceleration injury indices in cadaver skull fracture. In: Proceedings of the 15th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-19, 1971; Coronado, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:190-206. SAE 710854.

1972

Hodgson VR, Thomas LM. Effect of long-duration impact on head. In: Proceedings of the 16th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-10, 1972; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:292-295. SAE 720956.

1997

Gibson LJ, Ashby MF. Cellular Solids: Structure and Properties. 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1997. Cambridge Solid State Science Series.

1966

Ommaya AK, Hirsch AE, Martinez JL. The role of whiplash in cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:314-324. SAE 660804.

1964

Ommaya AK, Rockoff SD, Baldwin M, Friau WS. Experimental concussion: a first report. J Neurosurg. April 1964;21:249-265.

1950

Gurdjian ES, Webster JE, Lissner HR. The mechanism of skull fracture. J Neurosurg. 1950;7(2):106-114.

2000

Newman JA, Shewchenko N, Welbourne E. A proposed new biomechanical head injury assessment function: the maximum power index. Stapp Car Crash J. 2000;44:215-247. SAE 2000-01-SC16.

2010

Gwin JT, Chu JJ, Diamond SG, Halstead PD, Crisco JJ, Greenwald RM. An investigation of the NOCSAE linear impactor test method based on in vivo measures of head impact acceleration in American football. J Biomech Eng. January 2010;132(1):011006.

2005

Newman JA. The biomechanics of head trauma and the development of the modern helmet: how far have we really come? In: Proceedings of the 2005 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 21-23, 2005; Prague, Czech Republic.3-12.

1983

Hodgson VR, Thomas LM, Khalil TB. The role of impact location in reversible cerebral concussion. In: Proceedings of the 27th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 17-19, 1983; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:225-240. SAE 831618.

2012

Viano DC, Withnall C, Halstead D. Impact performance of modern football helmets. Ann Biomed Eng. January 2012;40(1):160-174.

1960

Lissner HR, Lebow M, Evans FG. Experimental studies on the relation between acceleration and intracranial pressure changes in man. Surg Gynecol Obstet. September 1960;111(3):329-338.

2004

Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI. A proposed injury threshold for mild traumatic brain injury. J Biomech Eng. 2004;126(2):226-236.

2003

Zhang L, Yang KH, King AI, Viano DC. A new biomechanical predictor for mild traumatic brain injury: a preliminary finding. In: Proceedings of the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE2003). November 15-21, 2003; Washington, DC.137-138.

2006

Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil. September–October 2006;21(5):375-378.

2013

Mao H, Zhang L, Jiang B, Genthikatti VV, Jin X, Zhu F, Makwana R, Gill A, Jandir G, Singh A, Yang KH. Development of a finite element human head model partially validated with thirty five experimental cases. J Biomech Eng. November 2013;135(11):111002.

1966

Gadd CW. Use of a weighted-impulse criterion for estimating injury hazard. In: Proceedings of the 10th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 8-9, 1966; Hollomon Air Force Base, NM. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:164-174. SAE 660793.

2005

Viano DC, Casson IR, Pellman EJ, Zhang L, King AI, Yang KH. Concussion in professional football: brain responses by finite element analysis: part 9. Neurosurgery. November 2005;57(5):891-916.

2003

Pellman EJ, Viano DC, Tucker A, Casson IR, Waeckerle JF. Concussion in professional football: reconstruction of game impacts and injuries. Neurosurgery. October 2003;53(4):799-814.

2009

Broglio SP, Sosnoff JJ, Shin S, He X, Alcaraz C, Zimmerman J. Head impacts during high school football: a biomechanical assessment. J Athl Train. August 2009;44(4):342-349.

1971

Versace J. A review of the severity index. In: Proceedings of the 15th Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 17-19, 1971; Coronado, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:771-796. SAE 710881.

Year	Entry
2019	Bruneau D. Investigation of Head and Brain Response in Football Helmet Impacts Using a Finite Element Model of the Head and Neck With Active Muscle [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2019.

Year

Entry

2019

Bruneau D. Investigation of Head and Brain Response in Football Helmet Impacts Using a Finite Element Model of the Head and Neck With Active Muscle [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2019.