Protective Materials
Advances in Protective Materials
Advances in materials have facilitated the development of lighter, better fitting, and more durable and effective protective devices such as helmets, body protection, and wrist guards used in snow sports. Past innovations in materials have led to noteworthy improvements in snow sport safety equipment; for example expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), specialized polymers, and fibre reinforced composites are still used today in helmets and body protective gear. More recent progress includes development of non-Newtonian materials, which can be soft and flexible under normal use and become stiff during impacts, and mechanical metamaterials that exploit their structured geometry to elicit particular physical and/or mechanical properties. Various factors feed into the development and evaluation of materials for use in snow sport protective devices.
ISSS Working Group on Protective Materials
The ISSS working group on protective materials takes a multifaceted approach to further understanding of how developments in protective materials can enhance snow sport safety. Collaborating with ISSS working groups and material experts in other fields ensures appropriate protective materials are being used to their full potential in protective devices for snow sports. Members of the ISSS working group are involved in basic and applied materials research, education about protective materials, updating standards to reflect material developments, working with industry and end users, and finding end-of-life solutions.
Chair of ISSS Working Group on Protective Materials
· Dr. Olly Duncan, Manchester Metropolitan University (Chair)
Associated Publications
Allen, T., Duncan, O., Foster, L., Senior, T., Zampieri, D., Edeh, V. and Alderson, A., 2017. Auxetic foam for snow-sport safety devices. In Snow Sports Trauma and Safety: Conference Proceedings of the International Society for Skiing Safety: 21st Volume (pp. 145-159). Springer International Publishing.
Bailly, N., Petit, Y., Desrosier, J.M., Laperriere, O., Langlois, S. and Wagnac, E., 2020. Strain rate dependent behavior of vinyl nitrile helmet foam in compression and combined compression and shear. Applied Sciences, 10(22), p.8286.
Duncan, O., 2024. Fast optimisation of honeycombs for impact protection. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 189, p.104973.
Duncan, O., Foster, L., Senior, T., Alderson, A. and Allen, T., 2016. Quasi-static characterisation and impact testing of auxetic foam for sports safety applications. Smart Materials and Structures, 25(5), p.054014.
Duncan, O., Shepherd, T., Moroney, C., Foster, L., Venkatraman, P.D., Winwood, K., Allen, T. and Alderson, A., 2018. Review of auxetic materials for sports applications: Expanding options in comfort and protection. Applied Sciences, 8(6), p.941.
Haid, D., Foster, L., Hart, J., Greenwald, R., Allen, T., Sareh, P. and Duncan, O., 2023. Mechanical metamaterials for sports helmets: structural mechanics, design optimisation, and performance. Smart Materials and Structures, 32(11), p.113001.
Parisi, M., La Fauci, G., Pugno, N.M. and Colonna, M., 2023. Use of shear thickening fluids in sport protection applications: A review. Frontiers in Materials, 10, p.1285995.
Signetti, S., Nicotra, M., Colonna, M. and Pugno, N.M., 2019. Modeling and simulation of the impact behavior of soft polymeric-foam-based back protectors for winter sports. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 22, pp.S65-S70.