Senior Design Project Data Sheet

Project # / Project Name / Project Track / Project Family
P15550 / Customized Personal Protection Headwear / Printing and Imaging / Bioengineering
Start Term / Team Guide / Project Sponsor / Doc. Revision
Fall 2014 / John Kaemmerlen / Denis Cormier / September 14th 2014

Senior Design Project Data Sheet

Project Description

Project Background:

Hundreds of thousands of athletes are being affected by the concussion epidemic every year. Concussions are becoming a huge problem, particularly in the athletic field. Currently, athletes in contact sports wear helmets and other protective equipment to attempt to reduce the forces that they are susceptible to. Some athletes participating in non-contact sports even wear soft protective headgear. However, this equipment is not protecting these athletes enough because it is still a huge problem. Companies are attempting to design and produce equipment that can absorb forces and protect athletes from this problem.

Problem Statement:

The main goal of this project is to scan the head of an athlete and design custom fit protective padding out of different materials to absorb forces associated with high impacts. This design will then be created with a 3D printer and tested on a drop test rig to compare with other protective products already on the market.

Objectives/Scope:

1.  Scan head geometry of an athlete to obtain parameters that will be implemented in to CAD program for 3D custom fit model

2.  Design and 3D print protective padding that will be implemented into the case of a helmet

3.  Design a drop test rig to test the padding and compare the forces it can withstand with protective equipment already on the market

Deliverables:

·  CAD models of different 3D printed cellular materials

·  Semi-automated workflow for sending scanned dimensions to Solidworks to the 3D printer

·  3D printed, customized, energy absorbent pads

·  Custom fitted football helmet with pads

·  Drop test rig with impact sensor feedback

Expected Project Benefits:

·  Innovative protective padding that can be customized for many applications, particularly protecting athletes

·  Knowledge and skill sets of the concussion problem that can be used for future projects

Core Team Members:

·  Chris Casella- Project Manager

·  Scott Quenville- Mechanical Engineer

·  Tiffany Gundler- Biomedical Engineer

·  Nathan Marshall- Mechanical Engineer

·  Kayla Wheeler- Biomedical Engineer

·  Christian Blank- Mechanical Engineer

Strategy & Approach

Assumptions & Constraints:

1.  Access to materials with the correct properties to optimize our designs

2.  Ability of the 3D printer to be able to make our designs, and 3D software compatibility constraints

3.  Ability of designs that we create to be produced

4.  Technology must be elastic and absorb energy to certain standards and be able to handle material fatigue and temperature variability

Issues & Risks:

·  Material Constraints

i.  Determining the correct materials

ii.  Access to materials

iii. Keeping cost down

·  Design Constraints

i.  Determining density and thickness

ii.  Must fit and print on 3D printer

iii. No electrical engineer when designing test rig

·  Rotational Impacts

i.  What claims can we make

ii.  Will it protect against rotational impacts