Description:
This helmet was designed to be used for formula 1 race car drivers. During F1 races there are many forces acting upon the driver and the car, my helmet was designed to incorporate some of these forces. Any object traveling at the speed of an F1 car is going to experience significant amounts of drag, to minimize this effect the helmet is shaped to have no flat areas and has the lowest coefficient of friction possible. In case of a crash the helmet needs to be strong enough to protect the driver from harm. When in a crash inertia carries the driver at the speed that they were going before the crash even if the car stops. This sudden deceleration is what is truly deadly. To combat this, the helmet is equipped with an inner layer of protective foam and cloth. This cloth acts similar to a crumple zone in a car as it slows down the speed of the action allowing the drivers head to be protected. The forces in a crash can be immense so the helmet must be made of materials strong enough to withstand these forces. The helmet that I designed uses carbon fiber to create strength at a low weight. The carbon fiber also has an advantage if the drivers helmet is scraping against something creating kinetic friction, its durability allows for it to hold up during something like this and protect the driver. The helmet also is equipped with vents so that the driver does not get too hot during a race. The visor is also mounted on a hinge and seals to the face of the helmet via a rubber seal, which can be seen in the rendering at the edge of the cut out for the visor. This seal makes it so that there will be no wind inside the helmet and also makes it so the visor lies flush in the helmet to reduce drag.
This helmet was designed to be used for formula 1 race car drivers. During F1 races there are many forces acting upon the driver and the car, my helmet was designed to incorporate some of these forces. Any object traveling at the speed of an F1 car is going to experience significant amounts of drag, to minimize this effect the helmet is shaped to have no flat areas and has the lowest coefficient of friction possible. In case of a crash the helmet needs to be strong enough to protect the driver from harm. When in a crash inertia carries the driver at the speed that they were going before the crash even if the car stops. This sudden deceleration is what is truly deadly. To combat this, the helmet is equipped with an inner layer of protective foam and cloth. This cloth acts similar to a crumple zone in a car as it slows down the speed of the action allowing the drivers head to be protected. The forces in a crash can be immense so the helmet must be made of materials strong enough to withstand these forces. The helmet that I designed uses carbon fiber to create strength at a low weight. The carbon fiber also has an advantage if the drivers helmet is scraping against something creating kinetic friction, its durability allows for it to hold up during something like this and protect the driver. The helmet also is equipped with vents so that the driver does not get too hot during a race. The visor is also mounted on a hinge and seals to the face of the helmet via a rubber seal, which can be seen in the rendering at the edge of the cut out for the visor. This seal makes it so that there will be no wind inside the helmet and also makes it so the visor lies flush in the helmet to reduce drag.
Key Concepts:
ACCELERATION is a change in speed over a period of time; the higher the acceleration, the faster the change in speed. For example, if a car goes from 0 miles per hour (mph) to 60 mph in 2 seconds, it is a higher acceleration than if the car goes from 0 mph to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Acceleration is a rate of change of speed; NO change means NO acceleration. If something is moving at constant speed, it is NOT accelerating.
COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION is the measurement of the level of friction embodied in a particular material. The formula is μ = f/N, where μ is the coefficient of friction, f, is the amount of force that resists motion, and N is the normal force. Normal force is the force at which one surface is being pushed into another.
CRUMPLE ZONES are areas of an object designed to deform and crumple in an impact, as a means to absorb the energy of a collision. The fronts of most automobiles are designed as crumple zones to protect the passengers from frontal collisions.
DRAG is a term used in fluid dynamics that is sometimes referred to as air resistance or fluid resistance. Friction is one of multiple factors that influence the amount of drag encountered by a body moving through a fluid such as air or water.
INERTIA: when an object remains still or moves in a constant direction at a constant speed.
G FORCE: a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity, informally described in units of acceleration equal to one g.
FRICTION is a force that resists motion when two objects or surfaces come in contact.
FORCE causes masses to accelerate; they are influences that cause a change of movement, direction, or shape. When you press on an object, you are exerting a force on it. When a robot is accelerating, it does so because of the force its wheels exert on the floor. Force is measured in units such as pounds or newtons. For instance, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity (accelerating the object towards the center of the earth).
KINETIC FRICTION (or dynamic friction) occurs when two objects are moving relative to each other and rub together (like a sled on the ground)
ACCELERATION is a change in speed over a period of time; the higher the acceleration, the faster the change in speed. For example, if a car goes from 0 miles per hour (mph) to 60 mph in 2 seconds, it is a higher acceleration than if the car goes from 0 mph to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Acceleration is a rate of change of speed; NO change means NO acceleration. If something is moving at constant speed, it is NOT accelerating.
COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION is the measurement of the level of friction embodied in a particular material. The formula is μ = f/N, where μ is the coefficient of friction, f, is the amount of force that resists motion, and N is the normal force. Normal force is the force at which one surface is being pushed into another.
CRUMPLE ZONES are areas of an object designed to deform and crumple in an impact, as a means to absorb the energy of a collision. The fronts of most automobiles are designed as crumple zones to protect the passengers from frontal collisions.
DRAG is a term used in fluid dynamics that is sometimes referred to as air resistance or fluid resistance. Friction is one of multiple factors that influence the amount of drag encountered by a body moving through a fluid such as air or water.
INERTIA: when an object remains still or moves in a constant direction at a constant speed.
G FORCE: a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity, informally described in units of acceleration equal to one g.
FRICTION is a force that resists motion when two objects or surfaces come in contact.
FORCE causes masses to accelerate; they are influences that cause a change of movement, direction, or shape. When you press on an object, you are exerting a force on it. When a robot is accelerating, it does so because of the force its wheels exert on the floor. Force is measured in units such as pounds or newtons. For instance, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity (accelerating the object towards the center of the earth).
KINETIC FRICTION (or dynamic friction) occurs when two objects are moving relative to each other and rub together (like a sled on the ground)
Design Process:
To create this helmet I used these three orthographic images of a helmet. These images allowed me to scale the helmet inside Autodesk to the images. This created a set scale so that the helmet will fit on a human head. When creating the design I had to take into consideration the safety standards for a F1 helmet. In the most basic form the safety standard of a F1 helmet is that it needs to withstand a crash. The materials as chosen earlier reflect that. For an article on the safety standards of an F1 helmet look here.
To create this helmet I used these three orthographic images of a helmet. These images allowed me to scale the helmet inside Autodesk to the images. This created a set scale so that the helmet will fit on a human head. When creating the design I had to take into consideration the safety standards for a F1 helmet. In the most basic form the safety standard of a F1 helmet is that it needs to withstand a crash. The materials as chosen earlier reflect that. For an article on the safety standards of an F1 helmet look here.