Development of an integrated cooling system for motorcycle helmet by physical study of temperature variations and heat transfer

In Colombia, the most widely used means of transport today are motorcycles, which have become increasingly numerous, bearing in mind that they are subject to laws and regulations imposed by the country’s mobility, transit and transport agencies, the use of helmets is mandatory for drivers and passengers, safety measures are monitored, the hull must be certified and meet the required technical standards; whereas its role is to protect people in the event of accidents, regulations require that the helmet be completely closed to protect the entire head and chin; the design of the helmet allows air entry and there is no concentration of temperature inside, all this is done by implementing air inlet and outlet ducts, which circulate air when the motorcycle is in motion, unfortunately this does not happen due to the accumulation of temperature in the back of the helmet that makes the user feel tired and uncomfortable. This research proposes the development of a prototype portable cooling system for motorcycle helmets by the physical principle of heat transfer, by using Peltier cells, to have low production cost, optimal operation, and low energy consumption thanks to natural air flow.

An Approach to the Definition of the Aerodynamic Comfort of Motorcycle Helmets

The aim of this work is to obtain a reliable testing methodology for the characterization of the perceived aerodynamic comfort of motorcycle helmets. Attention was paid to the rider’s perception of annoying vibrations induced by wind. In this optic, an experimental comparative campaign was performed in the wind tunnel, testing 16 helmets in two different configurations of neck stiffness. The dataset was collected within a convolutional neural network (CNN or ConvNet) of images, creating a ranking by identifying the best and the worst helmets. The results revealed that each helmet has unique aerodynamic characteristics. Depending on the ranking scale previously created, the aerodynamic comfort of each helmets can be classified within the scale.

Perception and Compliance with Use of Safety Helmet as a Preventive Measure among Commercial Motorcyclists in Yoruba Ethnic-Dominated South-West Nigeria

Significant proportion of motorcyclists in Nigeria do not adhere to appropriate safety measures due to ethnic and cultural misconceptions, prominent among which is the perceived belief among Yorubas in South-west Nigeria that motorcycle helmets could be a medium for spells and communicable infections. Study assessed the perception of commercial motorcyclists about safety helmets, examined the attitude of motorcyclists and level of compliance with safety helmets. Study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed method using quantitative and qualitative data collection. Quantitative aspect employed semi-structured questionnaires to collect data from 200 commercials while Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted for the qualitative study. Chi-square statistic was used to examine association between dependent and independent variables, statistical significance taken at p<0.05. Qualitative responses were analyzed and findings presented thematically. Findings revealed that 82.5% of the motorcyclists had positive perception, 62.0% had a negative attitude towards safety helmets while 22.5% of the motorcyclists complied with appropriate safety helmet guidelines. Compliance with safety helmets was significantly associated with motorcyclists’ educational qualification (p=0.03), ethnicity (p=0.01) and perception about safety helmets (p=0.04). Study concluded that increased awareness and advocacy which takes cognizance of cultural contexts of motorcyclists are vital if fatalities from road traffic injuries are to be reduced in Nigeria.

MOTORCYCLE HELMET USE AND FATALITIES IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF THE USA

Introduction: The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2018, the number of deaths on motorcycles was nearly 27 times the number in cars. In the United States there is no universal helmet law. In twenty-two states, motorcycle helmets are entirely optional, while in nineteen states and the District of Columbia universal motorcycle helmets laws requiring helmets for all riders regardless of age are implemented and nine states only require younger motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, with varying age limits. Objectives: The overall objectives of this study were to evaluate the following: (1) number of fatalities (with and without helmet use), (2) fatality rate per motorcycle registration, (3) fatality percentage with age, (4) percent fatality due to alcohol impairment, and (5) location of collision impact to the rider in two southern states (Mississippi and Alabama) where helmet laws are established compared with a southern state (Florida) that only requires riders less than 20 years of age to be helmeted. Methods: Data from 2015-2018 were obtained from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Reporting System (FARS) and supplemented with state related and CDC data. Results: In all three states, the most common collision was a front-end impact. Mississippi had the highest percentage of motorcycle fatalities even with >80% of riders helmeted when the fatal accident occurred, followed by Florida motorcyclist who are only 50% of the time helmeted. In all three southern states similar percentage of fatalities were seen in each age group with higher fatalities associated with age range of 30-39 years. Conclusions: Variables such as helmet type, distance from a level 1 trauma center, poor roads, weather conditions, and visibility of the rider may also be factors that contribute to a higher incidence of fatality and need to be further investigated to improve motorcycle safety.

Nanoindentation and Hierarchy Structure of the Bovine Hoof Wall

The bovine hoof wall with an α-keratin structure protects the bovine foot from impact loads when the cattle are running. Reduced modulus, hardness and creep behavior of the bovine hoof wall have been investigated by a nanoindentation technique. The average reduced modulus of the Transverse Direction (TD) specimens from the outside to inside wall is 3.76 and 2.05 GPa, respectively, while the average reduced modulus of the Longitudinal Direction (LD) specimens from the outside to inside wall is 4.54 and 3.22 GPa, respectively. Obviously, the orientation and the position of the bovine hoof wall have a significant influence on its mechanical properties. The use of the generalized Voigt–Kelvin model can make a good prediction of creep stage. Mechanical properties of the LD specimens are stronger than those of the TD specimens. The bovine hoof wall has a layered structure, which can effectively absorb the energy released by the crack propagation and passivate the crack tip. Therefore, a kind of structural model was designed and fabricated by three-dimensional printing technology, which has a 55% performance improvement on fracture toughness. It is believed that the reported results can be useful in the design of new bionic structure materials which may be used in motorcycle helmets and athletes’ protective equipment to achieve light weight and improved strength at the same time.

The surgical history of head injury in motor vehicle collision

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a significant cause of head injuries today, but efforts to manage and prevent these injuries extend as far back as the beginning of modern neurosurgery itself. Head trauma in MVCs occurred as far back as 1899, and the surgical literature of the time mentions several cases of children being struck by passing automobiles. By the 1930s, Dr. Claire L. Straith, a Detroit plastic surgeon, recommended changes to automobile design after seeing facial injuries and depressed skull fractures that resulted from automobile accidents. During World War II, Sir Hugh Cairns, a British neurosurgeon, demonstrated the efficacy of motorcycle helmets in preventing serious head injury. In the 1950s, Dr. Frank H. Mayfield, a Cincinnati neurosurgeon on the trauma committee of the American College of Surgeons, made several recommendations, such as adding padded dashboards and seatbelts, to make automobiles safer. Ford implemented the recommendations from Dr. Mayfield and others into a safety package for the 1956 models. Significant work has also been done to prevent head injury in motorsports. Efforts by surgeons, especially neurosurgeons, to prevent head injury in MVCs have saved countless lives, although it is a less frequently celebrated achievement.

Microbial Diversity and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Bacteria Associated with Motorcycle Helmets

Background. Motorcycle helmets can serve as a potential vehicle for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria and fungi with serious health implications. The main aim of this study was to explore the microbial diversity associated with the motorcycle helmets and determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of the bacterial isolates. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among the teaching staffs of Birendra Multiple Campus, Bharatpur, Nepal. A total of 130 motorcycle helmets worn by the teaching staffs of the Birendra Multiple Campus, Bharatpur, were included in the study for microbiological investigations. Results. Of the total 130 motorcycle helmets analyzed, 392 bacteria and 346 fungi belonging to seven different genera were recovered. Staphylococcus aureus 89 (22.7%) was the predominant bacteria followed by S. epidermidis 77 (19.6%) and E. coli 54 (13.8%), whereas Aspergillus niger 67 (19.4%) was the predominant fungi followed by A. fumigatus 49 (14.2%). Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by the disc diffusion method for all the bacterial isolates. Tetracycline, gentamycin, and cotrimoxazole were the most effective antibiotics for Gram-positive isolates, whereas Gram-negative isolates were sensitive towards imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Of the total bacterial isolates, 153 (39.0%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR), 10.4% were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers, and 4.3% were metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) producers and, out of 89 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, 30 (33.7%) were detected as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Conclusion. The findings suggest that motorcycle riders should follow good hygiene practices and regularly clean their helmets with suitable sterilants to avoid the risk of microbial contamination and reduce the associated risks.