Experimental study of the effect of impact energy on open face helmet fabricated using woven bamboo and jute fiber reinforced with epoxy composites

Abstract

Helmets provide safety and protection to human beings and prevent head injuries during accidents. Helmets fabricated by metals/ polymers or ceramic composites are used as shields or guards for a wide variety of applications like motor racing, construction work, manufacturing industries, mining, refinery, public strikes, defense, bike riding, etc. The road transport department has made it mandatory to wear a helmet for all bike riders. Natural fibers like bamboo, sisal, coir, jute, etc. are getting more research interest as reinforcement in polymer composites. These fibers are very attractive due to being light in weight, nontoxic, low cost, abundantly available, low energy inputs, ease of fabrication, and eco-friendly. The current investigation is focused on the fabrication of an open-face helmet by using natural fiber composites. This composite is prepared by selecting a suitable combination of woven bamboo and jute as fibers and epoxy as the matrix. The fabricated helmet is cured for 48 hours and then subjected to drop tests to study the impact energy absorbed. The drop test i s being carried out and showed that the maximum permissible load is about 147.55kN and the impact energy absorbed is found to be 2144.90 kJ. The hybrid composite of 10% bamboo and 20 % jute along with 70% matrix material yield better impact energy-absorbing properties.