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Impact Mitigation Properties and Material Characterization of Women’s Lacrosse Headgear

  • S.I. : Concussions
  • Published:
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact attenuation properties of women’s lacrosse headgear and to characterize mechanical properties of the materials of which they are composed. Impacts using a linear impactor (2.2, 2.9, and 5.0 m/s) and a projectile shooter (13.4 and 27.0 m/s) were applied to a Hybrid III 50th male head-neck assembly at six impact locations to replicate realistic women’s lacrosse head impacts. Individual materials that make up the headgear were tested in compression at two quasi-static strain rates, 0.01/s and1/s, and 100/s using uniaxial test machines. For the linear impactor tests, results showed a significant decrease in peak linear and rotational acceleration (PLA and PRA), peak rotational velocity (PRV), head injury criteria and brain injury criteria in the helmeted impacts (p < 0.022). During the ball impacts PRV and PRA were significantly lower for both helmeted conditions compared with no helmet (p < 0.01). Material characterization tests indicated a range of rate effects in these materials ranging from weak to pronounced, and these effects correspondingly influenced the strain energy density graphs. The connection of the materials’ rate effects to the performance of the headgear is described in general and in relation to the impact tests.

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Abbreviations

SRC:

Sport related concussion

TPU:

Thermoplastic polyurethane

PLA:

Peak linear acceleration

PRA:

Peak rotational acceleration

PRV:

Peak rotational velocity

HIC:

Head injury criteria

BrIC:

Brain injury criteria

NOCSAE:

National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment

ASTM:

American Society for Testing and Materials

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Funding

No benefits in any form have been or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript. This paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants CBET 1919416 and CMMI 1537360. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI, 48128, USA

    Grant Baker, Wonsuk Kim, Madison Rowe, Alan Argento & Amanda Esquivel

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  1. Grant Baker
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  3. Madison Rowe
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Correspondence to Amanda Esquivel.

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Associate Editor Stefan M. Duma oversaw the review of this article.

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Baker, G., Kim, W., Rowe, M. et al. Impact Mitigation Properties and Material Characterization of Women’s Lacrosse Headgear. Ann Biomed Eng 50, 1648–1660 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-022-03092-y

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