A serious injury on being struck by a baseball pitch was reported recently. A baseball helmet is an integral part of the protective gear that prevents any head injuries upon being struck by a baseball. To improve the safety offered by the helmet, it is necessary to minimize the acceleration of the head. An appropriate choice of shell and liner materials would enhance the shock absorption capabilities of the helmet. In this study, the materials and thickness of the shell were varied, and an impact test was performed using a baseball launcher. The effect of the flexural properties of the shell materials on the acceleration of the dummy head, the pressure on its surface, and the energy absorbed by the shell were considered. Shell materials with high flexural modulus distributed the impact load, and reduced the acceleration and pressure that acted on the dummy head.
