3 ms·
No. The helmet, in the ideal conditions for which it is designed, should /crush/. Cracking is a non-ideal failure mode as it absorbs much less energy.
by frabbit 11y ago
No. The helmet, in the ideal conditions for which it is designed, should /crush/. Cracking is a non-ideal failure mode as it absorbs much less energy.
- plusquamperfekt 11y agohmmm ... interesting point
- falcolas 11y agoLooking into the documentation around bicycle helmet design, it appears that the outer surface is actually less for energy absorption, and more for preventing any "catching" on the road surface which would add torque to your head in a crash. Cracking, in this case, is the expected failure model, since the material has to be hard to provide a sliding surface. Helmets should not be re-used after a crash. http://www.bhsi.org/ideal.htm http://www.bhsi.org/ideal.htm point 5 - outer shell
- frabbit 11y agoWell, when we talk about a helmet cracking as opposed to specifying "the outer shell of the helmet" I think we're talking about the whole polystyrene core.