The material also outperformed competing microlattice designs, absorbing nearly 14% more energy from a single hit and staying intact to absorb the next round of impacts instead of irreversibly buckling after one hit. The team's best performing microlattice material absorbed up to 27% more energy from a single impact than the current most effective expanded polystyrene foam and absorbed energy up to 48% more energy efficiently compared to the top vinyl nitrile foam during repeated impacts. Army Advanced Combat Helmet test specifications, observing their ability to withstand multiple consecutive blows. Next, they adapted the material into helmet pads and tested them according to U.S. In order to test how well three different variations of the microlattice material absorb impacts compared to traditional foams, the researchers first used a double anvil fixture to simulate impacts similar to those that would strike a pad situated within a helmet, allowing them to measure the response of the material alone without accounting for the helmet's shape and other properties. This structure also makes the material highly adjustable, so engineers can easily tailor it to absorb different levels and types of shock by tweaking its components. The photopolymer-based microlattice material shares a resemblance to the Eiffel Tower's famous wrought-iron design: it is sturdy but allows air to pass through, a property that would keep athletes' heads cooler than existing helmets.
"Our technology could revolutionize football, batting, bicycle, and motorcycle helmets, making them better at protecting the wearer and much easier to have on your head due to the increased airflow," says Eric Clough, a researcher at HRL Laboratories, a materials science doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the lead scientist on the study.
Although helmet foams have evolved in the past decades, improvements have been relatively marginal. Helmets used in both combat and American football require impact-absorbing materials that protect against ongoing impacts, but it remains difficult to design materials that remain effective over time without compromising on volume, mass, or cost.
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