Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Patent
1995-02-28
1996-10-08
Neas, Michael A.
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
2412, D29102, A42B 300
Patent
active
055618669
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to safety helmets, and particularly but not exclusively crash helmets for motorcyclists.
The general requirements for a safety helmet are that it should have a strong and shatterproof outer shell and an inner support or lining which spreads and cushions any sharp blow to the shell. A motorcycle crash helmet also has various special requirements, such as that it should protect the face and the back and sides of the user's head as well as the top of the skull, that it should not come off in an accident, that it should resist penetration by sharp objects, and that it should have a transparent visor.
The standard construction of crash helmet consists of a substantially spheroidal outer shell of tough plastics material, which may be made by injection moulding, wet laying up, or a similar process, and an inner lining of resilient material. The outer shell may be a glass fibre or KEVLAR.TM. laminate, and the inner lining may be a foam material. When such a helmet is struck, the energy is dissipated and absorbed primarily by the inner lining; the outer shell is essentially rigid, and serves primarily to transmit and spread the load to the inner lining.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved crash helmet, though the invention extends to safety helmets generally.
Accordingly the invention provides a safety helmet comprising an outer shell formed as a sandwich, comprising outer and inner composite layers each of resin and impact-resistant material separated by an intermediate layer of resilient material, characterized in that it is of generally polyhedral form comprising a plurality of polygonal faces, preferably approximately in the form of part of a truncated icosahedron.
The outer shell may be formed as a sandwich, comprising outer and inner composite layers each of resin and impact-resistant material separated by an intermediate layer of resilient material. The impact-resistant material may be a cloth of KEVLAR.TM., DYNEMA.TM., glass fibre, or carbon fibre. The resilient material may be cork or foamed or other resilient plastics material, but is preferably honeycomb material of paper or aluminium.
The invention also provides a manner of constructing such a safety helmet, comprising sequentially laying up, in or over a former, a first composite layer of resin and sheets of impact-resistant material, an intermediate layer of honeycomb material, and a second composite layer of resin and sheets of impact-resistant material.
Further features of the invention will be described with reference to an embodiment thereof in the form of a crash helmet, given by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the structure of the helmet; and
FIG. 2 is a simplified perspective view of the helmet.
The helmet is made using a mould of the appropriate shape, typically a part of a spheroid. A female (external) mould can be used; such a mould can be of, e.g., 2 pieces, so that the helmet can be removed from it. However, a male (internal) mould (of, eg, 3 pieces, so that it can be removed when the helmet is made) can be used. It is easier to construct the helmet using an internal mould; however, with an external mould, a good finish to the outer surface of the helmet can readily be achieved.
The helmet is constructed in three stages--forming the first shell or membrane, forming the layer of honeycomb material, and forming the second shell or membrane. If the helmet is made using a female mould, the first shell is the outer shell and the second shell is the inner shell. Each shell is formed using resin and impact-resistant cloth such as KEVLAR.TM. or SPECTRA 900.TM..
The shells may be formed using spreadable resin and strips of impact-resistant cloth. Convenient resins are epoxy (which is thermosetting) or phenolic resins (e.g. PEI--polyetherimide or PES--polyethersulphone, which are thermoplastic), and convenient impact-resistant materials are DYNEMA.TM., KEVLAR.TM., and carbon fibres.
Layers of resin are spread, wit
REFERENCES:
patent: D205652 (1966-09-01), Brockway
patent: 824274 (1906-06-01), Banks
patent: 1772740 (1930-08-01), Anderson
patent: 3447163 (1969-06-01), Bothwell
patent: 4075717 (1978-02-01), Lemelson
patent: 4288268 (1981-09-01), Hartung
patent: 4564959 (1986-01-01), Zahn
Christopher Andrew Brine
Neas Michael A.
Ross Leslie
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