{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/89970"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/89970","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Improving energy dissipation to lower concussion risk in football helmets","abstract":"American football is notorious for being a high impact sport. There exists an especially high amount of danger to each player's brain, created in part by gameplay, but also from the helmets worn by the athletes. Football helmet pads were comparatively investigated, in order to find a better alternative that can lower the amount of acceleration on the brain. A new pad system was introduced that allows for the force to be dissipated horizontally, through use of a dashpot-like center, also employing a foam shell to assist in the vertical energy dissipation. The pad currently used, along with the new dashpot system were further tested inside helmet shells on a head form drop test, and compared to the national standards that regulate athletic equipment.","abstract_html":"American football is notorious for being a high impact sport. There exists an especially high amount of danger to each player's brain, created in part by gameplay, but also from the helmets worn by the athletes. Football helmet pads were comparatively investigated, in order to find a better alternative that can lower the amount of acceleration on the brain. A new pad system was introduced that allows for the force to be dissipated horizontally, through use of a dashpot-like center, also employing a foam shell to assist in the vertical energy dissipation. The pad currently used, along with the new dashpot system were further tested inside helmet shells on a head form drop test, and compared to the national standards that regulate athletic equipment.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Labaza, Christine Elizabeth"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Lorna J. Gibson."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014","date_published":"2014","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:32Z","subjects":["Materials Science and Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89970","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Lorna J. Gibson."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89970"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2014.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-53)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["American football is notorious for being a high impact sport. There exists an especially high amount of danger to each player's brain, created in part by gameplay, but also from the helmets worn by the athletes. Football helmet pads were comparatively investigated, in order to find a better alternative that can lower the amount of acceleration on the brain. A new pad system was introduced that allows for the force to be dissipated horizontally, through use of a dashpot-like center, also employing a foam shell to assist in the vertical energy dissipation. The pad currently used, along with the new dashpot system were further tested inside helmet shells on a head form drop test, and compared to the national standards that regulate athletic equipment."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Improving energy dissipation to lower concussion risk in football helmets"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Lorna J. 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Football helmet pads were comparatively investigated, in order to find a better alternative that can lower the amount of acceleration on the brain. A new pad system was introduced that allows for the force to be dissipated horizontally, through use of a dashpot-like center, also employing a foam shell to assist in the vertical energy dissipation. The pad currently used, along with the new dashpot system were further tested inside helmet shells on a head form drop test, and compared to the national standards that regulate athletic equipment."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89970"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. 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