Performance evaluation on head protection of soft epoxy foam in projectile impact

Abstract

In baseball, an increasing number of players wear batter helmets extended to the chin, and some pitchers and fielders wear head protector with cushioning material. For pitchers and fielders, a lightweight and flexible head protector that can be worn without a sense of incongruity is required due to the intensity of sports activities. In this study, we examine the application of cushioning material for head protector of soft epoxy foam which is extremely sensitive to strain rate and flexible at low strain rate but has high energy absorption capacity at high strain rate. In particular, assuming that a hard ball for baseball hits the head, the head protection performance of the soft epoxy foam is evaluated by a ball impact test.