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General Engineering Science Fair Project

Helmet Air Pressure and Impact Force

Hard
Helmet Air Pressure and Impact Force | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does the air pressure inside a football helmet change how much impact reaches your head? You set up four plastic helmets on a simulated head made from Styrofoam. An accelerometer probe inside the head measures the force of impact. A weight drops from a pulley onto each helmet. You pump the helmet padding to different air pressures ranging from 10 to 50 mmHg. Higher air pressure absorbs more of the blow. At 50 mmHg, the impact force drops to just 10 Newtons.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the higher the air pressure in the padding of the helmet, the smaller the force of impact.

Method & Materials

You will tie a string to the bottom of a pulley, attach a weight to another string, and set up the equipment to measure the force of impact. You will then insert the accelerometer probe into the simulation of a human head, pump air into the padding of the football helmet, and release the weight on the helmet and the simulated head.
You will need 4 plastic football helmets, a pump, a pulley, a simulation of a human's head, 2 lengths of string, cellophane tape, an accelerator probe, and a computer.

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Results

The results showed that as the air pressure in the padding of the helmet increased, the force of impact decreased. This supports the hypothesis that the higher the air pressure in the padding of the helmet, the smaller the force of impact.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores how air pressure affects cushioning, which is an important factor in protecting athletes from head injuries.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include using different materials for the simulation of the human head and using different weights.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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