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An Analysis of Catcher's Mask Performance to Attenuate Head Accelerations

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dc.contributor.authorShain, Kellen Saulen
dc.contributor.committeechairMadigan, Michael L.en
dc.contributor.committeememberGoforth, Michael W.en
dc.contributor.committeememberDuma, Stefan M.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiomedical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:34:53Zen
dc.date.adate2010-05-07en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:34:53Zen
dc.date.issued2010-04-21en
dc.date.rdate2010-05-07en
dc.date.sdate2010-04-26en
dc.description.abstractThe goals of this study were to measure the ability of catcher's masks to attenuate head accelerations upon impact with a baseball, and to compare these head accelerations to established injury thresholds for concussions. Testing involved using a pneumatic cannon to shoot baseballs at an instrumented (3-2-2-2 accelerometer array) Hybrid III headform (a 50th percentile male head and neck) with and without a catcher's mask on the head. The ball speed was controlled from approximately 26.8 – 35.8 m/s (60 – 80 mph) and regulation NCAA baseballs were used. Peak linear resultant acceleration was 140 – 180 g without a mask and 16 – 30 g with a mask over the range of balls speeds investigated. Peak angular resultant acceleration was 19500 – 25700 rad/sec2 without a mask and 2250 – 3230 rad/sec2 with a mask. The Head Injury Criterion was 93 – 181 without a mask and 3 – 13 with a mask and the Severity index was 110 – 210 without a mask and 3 – 15 with a mask. Catcher's masks reduced head acceleration metrics by approximately 85% when baseballs were impacted with just the headform. Head accelerations with a catcher's mask were substantially lower than contemporary injury thresholds, yet evidence indicates that baseball impacts to the mask still result in concussions.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.identifier.otheretd-04262010-081912en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04262010-081912/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/42291en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartFINALETD3.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectcatcher's masken
dc.subjecthead accelerationen
dc.subjectbaseball impactsen
dc.subjectconcussionsen
dc.titleAn Analysis of Catcher's Mask Performance to Attenuate Head Accelerationsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineBiomedical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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