Composite Helmet to Mitigate Concussive Force

Despite the advances in a combat helmet design and materials’ evolution, the major drawback of the current state-of-the art ACH helmet, as well as some more recent advanced designs such as FAST and ECH, is that they still don’t offer enough of blast shockwave energy dissipation and absorption to fully protect a soldier from concussive brain injuries. As such, a new supplementary lightweight device is needed inside the regular combat helmet to protect against blast and concussive overpressure forces to prevent brain injuries. TDA Research Inc. seeks to develop a brand-new design for a lightweight insert to provide a current combat helmet with additional shockwave energy dissipation and absorption. We will use a new multilayered design, where each layer carries out its own set of functions. Specially reinforced rubber, a foam, and optional plastic layers will act synergistically to completely dissipate and absorb the energy of blast and concussive forces, thus protecting a soldier for traumatic brain injuries. All layers will be bonded together into a single structure. The new insert design will provide the military with a lightweight supplementary device to be worn underneath a regular combat helmet in order to protect a soldier against blast and concussive overpressure forces that cause traumatic brain injuries. The insert will be worn comfortably underneath a regular combat helmet complementing the protective design of the latter. None of the layers of the composite helmet will interfere with the wearer and technologies/systems (e.g., GPS or communication equipment) carried by the Warfighter. The structural materials of the proposed liner have also been well-proven to perform well under rugged conditions such as extreme temperatures, humidity and dust/wet conditions. Through the duration of Phase I, TDA will work in partnership with a leading commercial manufacturer of combat helmets. Our collaborator will provide input for the design of a helmet insert, testing support, participation in technoeconomic analysis of the product and related manufacturing process, and advising on the scale-up transition.