Simulation-Based Study of Impact Energy Absorption in American Football Helmet

Concussion injury limits the American football player’s career life and causes several long term problems. In order to limit its severity and frequency, various helmets have been designed to protect player’s head. This absorbency is mainly achieved by the padding system inside the helmet which includes energy absorbing and comfort foams and inflatable air surrounding the foams. In a recent study an experiment was performed on a Riddell Youth Revolution Speed helmet to analyze the effect of the head size on capability of the helmet in attenuating the impacts. It was found that headform size would affect the helmet performance. In the current study, a three dimensional finite element (FE) model has been developed based on the above mentioned experiment. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the FE model based on the experimental results, regarding the effect of headform size on performance of the helmet.