Collisions between a baseball bat and a catcher’s helmet are rare, yet severe impacts that often lead to head injuries. Catcher’s helmets are currently designed to pass NOCSAE standards in a linear drop test. A test that replicates a batter’s backswing was prototyped to incorporate angular acceleration and tested by colliding a baseball bat into a headform. Testing was performed at six velocities with and without a helmet. Peak G and Severity Index values were measured to explain effects at the brain. Results validated linear test data for 1D testing, but suggests NOCSAE standards may test unrealistically high energy impacts. Risk of injury decreased with helmet use. Future helmet designs and testing will likely include angular acceleration to improve the 3D reaction models of the brain.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Kwiecinski, Walter Andre
• Gervasio, Sophia Odessa
• McLaughlin, Ryan Gilbert
• Kruzan, Derek Albert

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-032019-134847

Advisor

• Savilonis, Brian James

Year

• 2019

Date created

• 2019-03-20

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright