Age has a Minimal Effect on the Impact Performance of Field-Used Bicycle Helmets.

Autor: DeMarco AL; MEA Forensic Engineers & Scientists, 11-11151 Horseshoe Way, Richmond, BC, V7A 4S5, Canada., Good CA; Collision Analysis, 43 Skyline Cres NE, Calgary, AB, T2K 5X2, Canada.; Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada., Chimich DD; MEA Forensic Engineers & Scientists, 11-11151 Horseshoe Way, Richmond, BC, V7A 4S5, Canada., Bakal JA; Alberta Health Services, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada., Siegmund GP; MEA Forensic Engineers & Scientists, 11-11151 Horseshoe Way, Richmond, BC, V7A 4S5, Canada. gunter.siegmund@meaforensic.com.; School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, 6081 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada. gunter.siegmund@meaforensic.com.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Annals of biomedical engineering [Ann Biomed Eng] 2017 Aug; Vol. 45 (8), pp. 1974-1984. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 May 01.
DOI: 10.1007/s10439-017-1842-4
Abstrakt: Helmet manufacturers recommend replacing a bicycle helmet after an impact or after anywhere from 2 to 10 years of use. The goal of this study was to quantify the effect of helmet age on peak headform acceleration during impact attenuation testing of field-used bicycle helmets. Helmets were acquired by donation from consumers and retail stores, and were included in the study if they were free of impact-related damage, had a legible manufacture date label, and were certified to at least one helmet standard. Helmets (n = 770) spanning 0-26 years old were drop tested to measure peak linear headform acceleration during impacts to the right and left front regions of the helmets at two impact speeds (3.0 and 6.2 m/s). General linear mixed models were used to assess the effect of age and three covariates (helmet style, size and certification impact speed) on peak acceleration. Overall, age was related to either no difference or a statistically significant but small increase (≤0.76 g/year of helmet age) in peak headform acceleration. Extrapolated across 20 years, age-related differences were less than both style- (traditional vs. BMX) and size-related differences. The age-related differences were also less than the variability observed between different helmets after accounting for style, size and certification effects. These findings mean that bicycle helmets (up to 26-year-old traditional helmets and 13-year-old BMX helmets) do not lose their ability to attenuate impacts with age; however, other helmet features that may change with age were not evaluated in this study.
Databáze: MEDLINE