Evaluation of the Performance of New Laminated Composite Shells for Motorcycle Helmets

Motorcycles are considered a cost-effective and major means of transportation, particularly in the developing countries. However, motorcyclists are at higher risk of head and brain injuries in road crashes, which is the primarily cause of most of the fatalities occurred. Wearing a protective helmet is an efficient way for the safety of the motorcyclist, since it reduces the severity of head injuries through absorbing the impact energy during accidents. The main components of the helmet are the outer shell and the shock absorbing foam liner. The helmet performance depends to a great extent on the enhancement of the properties of the materials used to provide protection. This paper studied experimentally the protection performance of new laminated composite shells compared with that of an Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) shell. The shell prototypes were fabricated in the form of an open face helmet, composed of a laminated composite structure reinforced with various fabric performs and materials. Expanded polystyrene foam was used for the shock absorbing liner and its compressive properties were examined. The shell prototypes including the foam liner were tested mechanically to investigate their damage behaviour under applying low velocity impacts and penetration loads. Non Destructive Inspection (NDI) methods were used, such as visual inspection and X-ray radiography to detect and evaluate the damages found in the prototypes. It was illustrated that, the laminated composite shell reinforced with the polyester/glass woven fabric and glass fiber mat achieved the best performance, can sustain impact loads and provide better protection to the head from penetration. When compared it with the ABS helmet, it approaches to its effectiveness in protection and the produced shell prototypes are promising for using in motorcycling. KeywordMotorcycle Helmet, Composite Shell, Low velocity Impact, Penetration Resistance, Non Destructive Inspection (NDI).