Concussions and Magnetic Helmets
- Thread starter Shendojoe
- Start date
Have to stay clear of microwaves when wearing them:
JVP had this figured out years ago. Remove the face masks. Problem solved.
I always thought that these might help to reduce head injuries but might increase the number of neck injuries
Saw a report months ago about a neck collar that puts pressure on the neck veins. Supposed to reduce concussions.
Edit found a link here but too complicated to explain the science.
More detailed explanation here.
Edit found a link here but too complicated to explain the science.
More detailed explanation here.
The key is to reduce the acceleration of the brain relative to it's casing (the skull). Hard helmets do not help. They ensure a short time of collision and a full transfer of force in the impact. The problem is compounded by the increased mass and speed of players in the game today. That means greater momentum of the bodies before impact which leads to a greater impulse in the collision. Impulse is the integral of force with each differential time element. Therefore a shorter impact (hard helmet) means a greater average and peak forces that accelerate the brain relative to the skull.
Our brain has a natural buffer to this and it's called cerbrosprinal fluid (CSF). This fluid fills the cavity between the brain tissue and the skull. It serves to reduce acceleration of the brain relative to the skull like a shock absorber and it reduces the force of collision between the brain and the skull (the traumatic brain injury or TBI) by absorbing some of the energy of the collision thus reducing the forces. But we aren't designed to handle the change in momentum (or the impulse) associated with 250 lb men who run 4.5 40s.
The best helmet design in my opinion is one that both reduces the forces of the collision by absorbing some of the energy and also causes the collision to occur over a longer time span further reducing the forces causing the brain to accelerate. I hadn't thought of magnetic repulsion but we could include that in the design but also a crumple zone and a 2nd engineered CSF layer.
The crumple zone would be like a car's crumple zone in which energy of the collision is lost in deforming the molecular structure of the crumple zone (it could rebound so it is reusable but not immediately or that would also need to be accounted for in the collision's momentum).
The 2nd engineering CSF layer would be a fluid similar in composition to actual human CSF. It would be an inner shell with the outer shell being the crumple zone. The engineered CSF layer of the helmet simply extends the time of collision and shock absorbs similar to our natural CSF layer. If you want to add the magnetic repulsion from the article linked in this thread, it can be a part of the crumple zone layer.
OK, so there is the physiology and the physics. It is now a problem for our material scientists. Just figure out what material best deforms in absorptive manner for the crumple zone and a suitable engineered CSF fluid. If you want to get fancy go ahead and include thermal retention gel inside the casing for the helmet pads for a sports science advantage (think cool packs in the gel helmet pads in hot climates).
In military aviation helmets, the energy absorbing layer is essentially a certain density of polystyrene (a.k.a styrofoam). In crashes, the helmets reduce acceleration to the brain by essentially compacting the EA liner. These helmets are meant to be replaced after each major impact or crash. Not feasible to replace a football helmet after each tackle unless you built in some indicators.
Exactly, only a certain threshold force would cause deformation and potentially the deformed structure could be recovered. I'm not a material scientist though but it would need to be a different material solution than crumple zones in a car or in the aviator helmets.
It's not a problem solver. Biggest issue in football today is you are on the field playing a game (at the HS level) and some guy is there willing to literally put his life on the line to make a tackle.
That's why protection is crucial. A soft helmet will not protect you from a shoulder or knee.
LdN
Strangely enough you may be on to something here. How about magnetic laces on the football and magnetic strips on our receivers gloves. That may solve our dropped passes issue.Wouldn't the magnetic helmets attract one another and cause more concussions?
Perhaps have an outer shell that cracks to help dissipate the impact energy? Players would need to leave the field to replace the outer shell, which could be done as part of the concussion protocol. It would also help teach players to not use their helmet as a weapon.
Similar threads
