Manufacturing and testing composites based on natural materials

Fernandes, Fábio A. O.; Tavares, José; Sousa, Ricardo J. Alves de; Péreira, A.; Esteves, J. L.

doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2017.09.055

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Road traffic accidents, sports, assaults and work and home accidents are the major sources. In some of these, the evolution of protective head gear is extremely important (Fernandes et al, 2013Fernandes et al, 2017aFernandes et al, , 2017b The authors are grateful to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), which financially supported this work, through the scholarship SFRH/BD/91292/2012. The authors also acknowledge Dr Alfredo Calheiros from the Hospital Geral de Santo Antonio, Porto, for providing the medical images and Professors Paula Martins, Silvia Francesco (University of Aveiro) and Teresa Magalhães (University of Porto) for the fruitful discussions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of a new finite element human head model

Fernandes

Tchepel

Sousa

et al. 2018

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Purpose Currently, there are some finite element head models developed by research groups all around the world. Nevertheless, the majority are not geometrically accurate. One of the problems is the brain geometry, which usually resembles a sphere. This may raise problems when reconstructing any event that involves brain kinematics, such as accidents, affecting the correct evaluation of resulting injuries. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a new finite element head model more accurate than the existing ones. Design/methodology/approach In this work, a new and geometrically detailed finite element brain model is proposed. Special attention was given to sulci and gyri modelling, making this model more geometrically accurate than currently available ones. In addition, these brain features are important to predict specific injuries such as brain contusions, which usually involve the crowns of gyri. Findings The model was validated against experimental data from impact tests on cadavers, comparing the intracranial pressure at frontal, parietal, occipital and posterior fossa regions. Originality/value As this model is validated, it can be now used in accident reconstruction and injury evaluation and even as a design tool for protective head gear.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of a new finite element human head model

Fernandes

Tchepel

Sousa

et al. 2018

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“…Natural fibers are increasingly associated with attempts to replace other fibres and also with improvements in reinforcing structures [1]. For example, the incorporation of coconut fibres into a composite material of polyethylene and cork dust has already been studied, and an increase in tensile strength compared to unreinforced material has been found [2].…”

Section: António B Pereira and Fábio Ao Fernandesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introductory Chapter: The Importance of Composites in the World

Pereira¹,

Fernandes²

2019

Renewable and Sustainable Composites

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“…The continuous search for efficient and cost-effective materials to deal with crashworthiness applications has been driving many studies over recent decades [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. However, recent self-consciousness and environmental responsibility are promoting the search for so-called green materials featuring good mechanical properties allied to recyclability and sustainability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helmet Design Based on the Optimization of Biocomposite Energy-Absorbing Liners under Multi-Impact Loading

et al. 2019

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Cellular materials have been used in many applications such as insulation, packaging, and protective gear. Expanded polystyrene has been widely used as energy-absorbing liner in helmets due to its excellent cost-benefit relation. This synthetic material can absorb reasonable amounts of energy via permanent deformation. However, in real-world accidents, helmets may be subjected to multi-impact scenarios. Additionally, oil-derived plastic is presently a major source of societal concern regarding pollution and waste. As a sustainable alternative, cork is a natural cellular material with great crashworthiness properties and it has the remarkable capacity to recover after compression, due to its viscoelastic behavior, which is a desired characteristic in multi-impact applications. Therefore, the main goal is to analyze the applicability of agglomerated cork as padding material in safety helmets. First, a finite element model of a motorcycle helmet available on the market was developed to assess its safety performance and to establish a direct comparison between expanded polystyrene and cork agglomerates as liners. Secondly, a new helmet model with a generic geometry was developed to assess the applicability of agglomerated cork as liner for different types of helmets, based on the head injury risk predictions by the finite element head model, YEt Another Head Model (YEAHM), developed by the authors. Several versions of helmet liners were created by varying its thickness and removing sections of material. In other words, this generic helmet was optimized by carrying out a parametric study, and by comparing its performance under double impacts. The results from these tests indicate that agglomerated cork liners are an excellent alternative to the synthetic ones. Thus, agglomerated cork can be employed in protective gear, improving its overall performance and capacity to withstand multi-impacts.

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Manufacturing and testing composites based on natural materials

Cited by 21 publications

References 13 publications

Development and validation of a new finite element human head model

Development and validation of a new finite element human head model

Introductory Chapter: The Importance of Composites in the World

Helmet Design Based on the Optimization of Biocomposite Energy-Absorbing Liners under Multi-Impact Loading

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