Dynamics of Head Impacts in Ice Hockey

拟议的为期5年的生物力学研究计划包括一系列综合的现场和实验室研究，以提高我们对曲棍球头部撞击和受伤的动力学的理解，并利用这些信息为不同年龄和技能水平的球员设计更安全的垫肩和短板。我们的工作涉及关键合作伙伴，并将培训两名博士生在科学和工程产品设计的伤害预防。 根据目标1，我们将为我们的工程设计项目建立一个“实践社区”，由研究人员、教练、球员、家长和曲棍球协会管理人员组成。这些利益攸关方将在整个项目中参与设计、执行和传播我们的成果，以告知我们的努力并增加其影响。 根据目标2，我们将与SFU曲棍球队和卑诗省太平洋海岸曲棍球协会(球员年龄在13-19岁)中的精英(检查)团队合作，使用数码摄像机和可穿戴传感器(安装在头盔和设备上)网络记录比赛和混战中的碰撞事件。这些数据将被分析，以确定肩对头和头对板碰撞所涉及的头部加速度范围、碰撞和初始和边界条件(撞击速度和身体节段配置)。 在目标3下，我们将进行实验室实验，以研究目前和新型的肩垫和垫板对头部和肩部的影响程度。在与人类参与者的实验中，我们将测量身体部分的运动、头部加速度和撞击力，同时参与者向仪表化的假人和仪表板提供“舒适的”肩部检查。我们将使用机械试验台对肩垫和板进行冲击测试，这些试验台模拟曲棍球中头和肩撞击的基本动力学。我们还将开发和利用数学和数学模型来检验冲击速度、质量以及肩垫和板的刚度和阻尼对冲击严重程度的理论影响。我们对肩垫的设计目标是在肩对头碰撞时最大限度地减少对对方球员的头部加速，同时也为提供检查的球员的肩部提供可接受的减力。我们将比较商业上可用的肩垫和不同弹性和损耗模数、厚度和表面几何形状的新型硬壳和软壳设计。我们将重点评估肩垫上的泡沫层对冲击严重性的影响，这些泡沫层可以整合到球衣中。我们对仪表板和玻璃的设计标准是，在冲击板材时将头部峰值加速度降至最低，同时允许足够的冰球移动和反弹。我们将比较标准的仪表板和一种新型的板设计，这种板在内面板和外部支撑柱和面板之间包含可调的刚性元件。

The proposed 5-year program of biomechanics research involves an integrated series of field and laboratory studies to improve our understanding of the dynamics of head impacts and injuries in hockey, and to use that information to design safer shoulder padding and dasher boards for players at various ages and skill levels. Our work involves key partners, and will train two Ph.D. students in the science and engineering of product design for injury prevention. Under Aim 1, we will establish a “community of practice” for our engineering design projects, consisting of researchers, coaches, players, parents, and hockey association administrators. These stakeholders will participate throughout the project in designing, executing and disseminating our results, to inform and increase the impact of our efforts. Under Aim 2, we will work with the SFU hockey team and elite (checking) teams in the BC Pacific Coast Hockey association (with players aged 13-19) to record collisions in games and scrimmages, using networks of digital video cameras and wearable sensors (mounted on helmets and equipment). These data will be analyzed to identify the range of head accelerations, and initial and boundary conditions (impact velocities and body segment configurations) involved in shoulder-to-head and head-to-board collisions. Under Aim 3, we will conduct laboratory experiments to examine how the severity of impacts to the head and shoulder is affected by current and novel types of shoulder pads and boards. In experiments with human participants, we will measure body segment movements, head accelerations, and impact forces while participants deliver “comfortable” shoulder checks to an instrumented dummy, and to instrumented boards. We will conduct impact testing of shoulder pads and boards with mechanical test rigs that simulate the dynamics of head and shoulder impacts in hockey. We will also develop and utilize mathematical and models to examine the theoretical effect on impact severity of impact velocity, mass, and the stiffness and damping of shoulder pads and boards. Our design goal for shoulder pads is to minimize head accelerations to the opposing player during shoulder-to-head collisions, while also providing acceptable reduction of force to the shoulder of the player who delivers the check. We will compare commercially available shoulder pads to novel hard and soft shell designs of varying elastic and loss modulus, thickness and surface geometry. We will focus on evaluating the effect on impact severity of foam layers over the shoulder pads, that could be integrated into jerseys. Our design criteria for dasher boards and glass is to minimize peak head accelerations during impact to the boards, while allowing for adequate puck travel and rebound. We will compare standard dasher boards to a novel board design containing adjustable stiffness elements between inner facing panels and outer support posts and panels.