Development of face surrogate for impact protection design for cyclist
Bicycle usage for exercise, recreation, and commuting to work in Australia shows that pedal cycling is the fourth most popular activity with 10.6% increase in participants between 2001 and 2007. As with other means of transport, accident and injury becomes common although mandatory bicycle helmet wearing has been introduced. The research aims to develop a face surrogate made of sandwich of rigid foam and rubber sheets to represent human facial bone under blunt impact. The facial surrogate will serve as an important test device for further development of facial-impact protection for cyclist. A test procedure was developed to simulate the energy of impact and record data to evaluate the effect of impact on facial bones. Drop tests were performed to establish a suitable combination of materials. It was found that the sandwich structure of rigid extruded-polystyrene foam (density of 40 kg/m with a pattern of 6-mm-holes), Neoprene rubber sponge, and Abrasaflex rubber backing, had impact characteristics comparable to that of human facial bone. In particular, the foam thickness of 30 mm and 25 mm was found suitable to represent human zygoma (cheekbone) and maxilla (upper-jaw bone), respectively. Keywords—Facial impact protection, face surrogate, cyclist, accident prevention
Effectiveness of bicycle safety helmets in preventing serious facial injury.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of helmets in preventing facial injuries.


DESIGN
Case-control study between March 1, 1992, and August 31, 1994.


SETTING
Seven Seattle, Wash, area hospitals including the regional trauma center and a large staff-model health maintenance organization.


PATIENTS
Cases were patients with serious facial injury, ie, fractures or lacerations; controls were patients who had injuries other than facial. Minor facial injuries were excluded to avoid ascertainment bias in those seeking care for serious injuries to other areas.


RESULTS
Serious facial injuries occurred to 700 (20.7%) patients. Helmets were used by 47% of cases and 57% of controls. After adjusting for age, sex, speed, and surface, we found that helmets reduced the risk of injury to the upper face (odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-0.49) and middle face (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.24-0.50) but had no significant effect on serious injury to the lower face (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.72-1.07).


CONCLUSIONS
Bicycle helmets offer substantial protection for the upper and mid face in addition to their known protection against head injuries. Helmets do not appear to offer any protection for the lower face.
PASSIVE AND LOW-ENERGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICES-DEHUMIDIFICATION
Methods of achieving acceptable indoor conditions in overheated, temperate, and underheated humid climates are discussed and compared. Desiccants and desiccant systems utilizing solid and liquid sorbents and various low-energy mechanical systems are described and evaluated.