Design Review of Helmet for aesthetic and ergonomic considerations
1. Introduction
In recent times, due to rapidly growing population, traffic congestion and lack of parking space,
two wheelers are the most popular mode of transportation. In the developing countries like India,
it is very difficult to the middle class people to afford the luxury cars for daily needs. Hence the
two wheeler motor cycles are very necessary for them. Due to this, the use of motor cycle is
increasing steadily in India. In India most of the accidents includes the two wheelers, hence the
safety of the motor cycle rider is most essential requirement. The two wheeler motor cycle rider
is most likely to sustain serious injuries during the accidents. The human head is very vulnerable
to injury. It is particularly susceptible to acceleration/deceleration and rotational forces because it
is freely mobile in three dimensions and occupies a relatively unstable position, being secured
only by the neck muscles and ligaments. One of the effective countermeasures to prevent head
injuries in motorcycle crashes is the use of a protective helmet. The beneficial effects of helmets
in direct
impact are well documented and helmets have been found to decrease the risk of head and brain
injury by 70 to 88% and facial injury to the upper and mid-face by 65%. The traffic injury is
recently recognized as one of the major health problems in the developing countries. Traffic
accidents are more severe and require critical care that causes eventually high medical costs and
economic losses. It may also cause permanent disabilities of the victim.
It is very difficult to wear helmets in the countries like India due to the discomfort they cause in
tropical climatic conditions. According to the Indian motor vehicle act, the wearing of motor
cycle helmet is mandatory while riding. Due to the discomfort caused by the present day
helmets, people use to wear open face helmet which doesn’t give more protection to the head and
the face of the rider when compared to full face helmets. The proper ventilation is an important
criterion for the safety and the comfort of the rider. As the rider is exposed to the high speed
stream of air, there should be proper heat transfer and air flow. A good helmet cuts down on
wind noise on ears, windblast on face and eyes, and deflects bugs and other objects flying
through the air. It even contributes to comfort from changing weather conditions and reduces
rider fatigue. Since helmet designs are available in standard sizes and standard interior forms, it
is difficult to fit for riders with different head shapes. There is a need for helmet which meets the
requirement of thermal comfort, adjustable interior, better visibility and pleasing aesthetics.
All helmets attempt to protect the user's head by absorbing mechanical energy and protecting
against penetration. Their structure and protective capacity are altered in high-energy impacts.
Beside their energy-absorption capability, their volume and weight are also important issues,
since higher volume and weight increase the injury risk for the user's head and neck.
Helmets used for different purposes have different designs. For example, a bicycle helmet must
protect against blunt impact forces from the wearer's head striking the road. A helmet designed
for rock climbing must protect against heavy impact, and against objects such as small rocks and
climbing equipment falling from above. Practical concerns also dictate helmet design: a
bicycling helmet should be aerodynamic in shape and well ventilated, while a rock climbing
helmet must be lightweight and small so that it does not interfere with climbing.
Some helmets have other protective elements attached to them, such as a face visors or goggles
or a face cage, or an ear cage or ear plugs and other forms of protective headgear, and a
communications system. Sports helmets may have an integrated metal face protector (face cage).
2. Design Consideration
The helmet must be designed to provide the user with the most lightweight, form fitting system,
while meeting other system performance requirements. This can be achieved through a complete
analysis of the system requirements. The advanced helmet development process for developing
aircrew helmets includes the utilization of several emerging technologies such as laser scanning,
computer aided design (CAD), computer generated patterns from 3-D surfaces, laser cutting of
patterns and components, and rapid prototyping (stereolithography). Advanced anthropometry
methods for helmet development are also available for use. The use of these advanced
technologies will minimize errors in the development cycle of the helmet and molds, and should
enhance system performance while reducing development time and cost.
A new helmet design with an exterior elastic skin, capable of moving independently from the hard
layers underneath, could decrease brain injuries from motorcycle accidents when the rider's head hits
the road or a vehicle with a glancing blow.
3. Structure of Helmet
A good design starts from a thorough understanding about the concept of a new product. Fig. 1
shows the common parts of a helmet. A brief description for the function of each part is also given to
highlight their importance in the design process.
Components of a helmet
3.1 Visor
The visor is made of a strong and transparent material, e.g. polycarbonate, and is designed to
protect the face of the rider from wind, dust and insects. In addition, the visor is equipped with a
water- and scratch-proof coating. Manufacturing a distortion-free visor including a reliable
opening mechanism not only calls in a manufacturer's development strength, but is equally
dependent on the right production technology.
3.2 Outer Shell
During an accident, the hard outer shell has to both absorb and disperse the impact. At present,
outer shells are generally made of thermoplastics or fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), a composite
material consisting of a synthetic resin reinforced with, for instance, fibreglass.
3.3 Comfort Padding
Despite its rounded shape, an EPS liner is much too hard to guarantee a good fit. The comfort
padding, which consists of a sufficiently firm synthetic foam pad covered with a skin-friendly
fabric, is thus all the more important.
3.4 Ventilation System
The system ensures fresh air is ducted into the helmet and exhaled air and humidity are vented
out.
3.5 Retention System
A special synthetic-fibre chin strap that fulfils the strict breaking- and tensile-strength
requirements serves to secure the helmet firmly on the head of the rider. The retention system is
attached to the helmet with strong metal rivets.
3.6 Liner(Foam)
The liner protects the wearer's head by absorbing the remaining force of the impact that was
already partially absorbed and dispersed by the outer shell. The liner located on the inside of the
shell is made of lightweight and highly impact-absorbing EPS (expanded polystyrene).
4. Problem Definition
Helmet is one of the essential safely devices one can wear while riding a motor cycle. Helmets
are effective in reducing the likely hood of Head Injury as well as their severity. It reduces the
severity by reducing impact force. Increase in temperature inside the helmet interior increases the
stress level and cause fatigue for the riders.
4.1 Quality Function Deployment
Quality functional deployment is a method of transforming user needs into the design quality. It
is a customer driven method which reduce the implementation time, promotes the teamwork and
provides the documentation. In order to design a good product, the design team needs to know
what the end user will expect from the product. Quality Functional Deployment is a systematic
approach to design a product according to the requirement of the customer. Hence the QFD is a
customer driven planning process. It causes the company to focus on the customer
requirement.
As per QFD analysis results, maximum importance is
given to the following parameters
4.1.1 Comfort/fit
1. No Vibrations
The reduction of vibrations, which can lead to rider fatigue or can impair visibility, plays an
important role during the development of helmet design. While the comfort padding of a helmet
normally only serves to ensure a secure fit, a properly designed one can provide two major
advantages. The development work performed at SHOEI suggests the creation of a three-
dimensional liner shape. In conjunction with surprisingly thin, cheek-shaped comfort padding,
the liner guarantees a perfect fit that prevents any helmet vibrations even at high speeds. The
idea at SHOEI is shown in the following figure.
2. No Pressure
If the comfort padding exerts pressure on specific points of the rider's head, the rider will
develop a headache after a couple of hours' riding, which will in turn impair the rider's
concentration and increase the risk of accident. A balanced distribution of the comfort padding
also prevents a feeling of heaviness after longer periods of use. This implies a liner must always
be designed to suit the helmet's later actual conditions of use and that comfort padding must be
head-shaped, that is various parts of comfort padding may be needed to design a “complete”
comfort padding.
3. Helmet Weight and Aerodynamics
Coupled with low weight, an aerodynamic shape also increases the wearing comfort of a helmet.
Next to the actual weight of the helmet, the rider will also feel the pressure of the aerodynamic
load during a ride. The inertia moment, which is especially noticeable during an accident, further
increases neck strain. Reducing the moment of inertia thus lessens the pressure exerted on the
neck muscles, on which the entire weight of the helmet rests, and can contribute to increasing the
rider's concentration. Lowering the weight of the helmet thus plays a central role in the
development work, from investigating basic structures like the outer shell and liner right up to
component production. An aerodynamic helmet shape, which is optimized for each model with
the help of various windtunnel tests, ensures low wind resistance during a ride and thus prevents
the rider from developing muscle fatigue.
4. Ventilation
The excellent ventilation system not only prevents the visor from steaming up, but also ensures a
pleasant climate within the helmet. This spares the rider unnecessary stress due to overheating
and thus avoids any loss of concentration.
5. Visor
Among other things, the visor must ensure clear visibility without optical distortion, be scratch-
and water-proof and guarantee protection against UV rays. Apart from fulfilling these
requirements and under consideration of the actual conditions of use, developing a special
system that enables a quick visor change in the event of a sudden turn in the weather is highly
demanded on the market.
6. Noise
On the one hand, excessive noise within the helmet constitutes a stress factor for the rider that
can reduce concentration. On the other, it may drown out important external noises like engine
sounds or warnings issued by other motorists that the rider should always be able to hear in the
interest of road safety. The actual level of noise inside the helmet is dependent on various
factors. While increasing the degree of wearing comfort by optimizing the comfort padding,
aerodynamics, ventilation system and visor, we should always continually aim to minimize the
level of noise inside the helmet.
4.1.2 Style
With respect to style, pattern design and painting play very important parts. While pattern design
is quite an artistic touch which most people consider lacking in an engineer’s mind, painting
actually is all about material science and techniques.
5. Model Making
The full scale working model of the final concept of the helmet was made to check the designed
features and to get a better understanding of the concept. The figure shows the working model of
full scale helmet. The working model of the helmet has been made using Fiber reinforced plastic.
The internal protective padding is made of Polystyrene and the comfort padding is made of
Nylon cloth and Thermoplastics.
Model of a helmet
Manually adjustable foam
Manually adjustable foam helps to adjust to the different head shapes. It consists of a rotating
knob mounted on side of the helmet outer surface, threaded bolt and the cushion pad. User can
tighten or loosen the inner foam as per his requirement.
Ergonomic study of the helmet
Ergonomic study of the helmet means, the validation of the designed helmet for its comfort,
feasibility, visibility, ease of accessibility and exterior aesthetics. The gap between the helmet
and the head fills with protective and the comfort padding.
6. Optimum Helmet Size
The following factors need to be considered while choosing the right helmet:
Shape
The shape of the rider's head plays a crucial role in selecting a proper fitting motorcycle helmet.
All helmet manufacturers design their wares to fit a specific head shape. These often range
across three primary designations - long oval, intermediate oval, and round oval.
Sizing a Motorcycle Helmet
Measuring for a motorcycle helmet is important. Get a helmet that is too small, and you’ll end up
with a headache and a very uncomfortable ride. Get one that is too big, and you might as well
wear a hat, since that’s about all the protection you’ll enjoy. A helmet needs to fit properly, with
a very slight movement when tugged by your hand. So getting the right size measurement of
your head is very important. Measuring for which motorcycle helmet size will fit is actually as
simple as looking for a good hat. The difference is in how the helmet will fit over the rider's
head.
Helmet Fit
When a new helmet is first worn, it should actually be slightly tight, with the interior coming into
contact with most of the head, but not so restrictive that it causes any pain. There should be no
"hot spots" - places where the helmet's interior puts pressure on specific points of the skull or
face - but it should not move around freely. With time, a helmet will adjust to match the shape of
the rider's head as it is worn and goes through "break-in" and loosens up a little. However, it
should never become loose enough to easily turn from side to side.
Select one which includes the features that suit the riding to be done and the way in which the
helmet will be used. Color, patterns and shield tint are mostly up to personal choice, but
remember that the brighter and easier to see a helmet is, the more likely the rider is to be seen.
The face shield should not obscure the rider's vision at all and tinted visors should only be used
for sunny days.
Size Inches CM Hat Size
X-Small 20.87-21.26 53-54 6 5/8-6 3/4
Small 21.65-22.05 55-56 6 7/8-7
Medium 22.44-22.83 57-58 7 1/8-7 1/4
Large 23.23-23.62 59-60 7 3/8-7 1/2
X-Large 24.02-24.41 61-62 7 5/8-7 3/4
2X-Large 24.80-25.20 63-64 7 7/8-8
3X-Large 25.60-26.00 65-66 8 1/8-8 1/4
4X-Large 26.40-26.80 67-68 8 3/8-8 1/2
5X-Large 27.00-27.50 69-70 8 5/8-8 3/4
7. CONCLUSIONS
Motor cycle helmets are conceptually designed, modeled and built to suit the requirement
of riders by considering ergonomics and thermal comfort.
The proper ventilation and the exhaust fan reduces the thermal discomfort to the rider.
The adjustable head form helps to suit the helmet to the riders of different head shapes.
The visibility of the helmet is improved by giving wide angle of visors.
A well-fitting motorcycle helmet will contribute to a safer and more comfortable ride. If
the helmet does not fit right, it can cause pain which will lead to dangerous distraction,
and it may not completely protect the rider's head in a crash. Thus, finding a motorcycle
helmet which fits the rider correctly is very important to the helmet's twin missions of
comfort and safety. Enough time must be spent in finding the right helmet.
