Improved Thermal Comfort of Helmets for Two-Wheeler Motorcycles: Technical Note

Abstract

A helmet used by motorcyclists is always of critical importance for the safety of the rider. A well-designed helmet should be able to absorb as much energy as possible and to diffuse it to the whole helmet during an impact. This project is intended to improve the design features with respect to thermal comfort of Helmet shell. The vital design features of helmets are extent of protection, ISO head form, and peripheral visions. Thermal discomfort can cause rider fatigue thereby reducing the overall concentration during driving. Various design concepts, such as adding ventilation holes, increasing clearance between the helmet shell and the head and covering the shell with reflective materials, are used to improve the thermal properties. The existing design of helmets does not account for the thermal comfort of the helmet shell into consideration so, a new design prototype is developed. At this stage, attention was also paid to structural safety, appearance and manufacturability. The thermal comforts that can be derived from this design are significantly improved over other commercially available helmets.