Bicycle Helmet modeling

Context of the study

Although cycling may be attractive for both economic and environmental reasons, cyclists are extremely vulnerable road users and subjected to falls or collisions with cars. This present research attempts to understand the degree of protection offered by a commercial bicycle helmet under standard impact conditions by means of experimental and numerical modeling efforts.

Experimental matrix : 90 normative impacts [EN 1078]

Numerical simulation of standard impact tests

Estimation of head injuries under normative impact conditions

Conclusion

In this study, a FEM of a brand new bicycle helmet was developed and implemented under the LS-DYNA® crash code. This FEM was validated against 90 experimental normative impact tests and was coupled to the SUFEHM in order to assess the head injury risks of both DAI and SDH. Results show that the computed injury risk is globally acceptable