SAN ANTONIO – UTSA researchers are trying to address the problem of head injuries in football players and military personnel by developing new padding for helmets.
Football is not a contact sport. It’s a collision sport.
Since Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002, attention to head injuries has skyrocketed and may be why youth participation in sports has declined significantly. It has become one.
According to a recent study from the National Federation of State High School Associations’ High School Athletics Participation Survey, participation for the 2021-22 school year has fallen to its lowest point, down 12% from its peak in 2008-09.
“(A) young brain is more susceptible to damage,” said Dr. Morteza Sadie, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UTSA.
Therefore, Dr. Sadie and his team are working on a new pad for helmets to solve this problem.
“We’re focused on football helmets, and specifically on how to pad and cushion helmets to reduce brain injuries in general and concussions,” Dr. Sadie said. Ta.
A concussion occurs when a trauma to the head causes the brain to bounce or twist inside the skull, stretching brain cells.
“There are low-velocity shocks and high-velocity shocks, and the structure needs to function at both speeds,” says UTSA Ph.D. Alireza Abbasigiri. said the student.
Dr. Seidi and his team use computer simulations, high-impact tests, and drop tests to determine which types of pads are most effective.
What they discovered is that the stiffness of the pad needs to vary depending on the speed of impact. The lower the speed, the softer it is, and the higher the speed, the harder it is.
“That’s the physics of the problem, and we’re trying to adjust it,” Dr. Sadie said. “It’s a step in the right direction, but we still think it will require several more years of research and development.”
Dr. Sadie and his team are also partnering with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) on another similar project that will also use this new technology in military helmets.
By doing so, during ballistic impact from shrapnel or bullets, the pads absorb the kinetic energy of the object, preventing damage to the skull and brain during combat.
This technology will still take several years to perfect.
