Protective Helmet Suspension and Retention System

Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) in collaboration with University of Texas at Austin (UTAustin) proposes to develop a suspension pad and retention system for ballistic helmets for the mitigation of blunt and ballistic impact loads using negative stiffness elements. Although various helmet pads are available on the market it is understood that they are not optimized for increased ballistic energy absorption realized by current state of the art helmet shells. Unlike other shock absorbers, negative stiffness suspensions can be tailored to maximize energy absorption for a given force threshold and travel requirement in a resettable manner with the potential for low cost afforded by additive manufacturing. They can even be functionally graded to offer shock isolation for transient loads of various amplitudes. In combination with analytical modeling and experimental testing MAPC and its partner will attempt to demonstrate a helmet suspension that meets the requirements of the solicitation.