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Nieuwe scheenbeschermers voor profvoetballers: van concept tot ontwerp

Dawson, I.R. (2013) Nieuwe scheenbeschermers voor profvoetballers: van concept tot ontwerp.

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Abstract:In this study a new shin guard concept containing shear thickening fluid is developed and validated. This concept originates from a previous study where a shin guard is designed that is both safe and comfortable. With this shin guard the number of injuries in soccer should decrease because soccer players would no longer have to choose between a safe and uncomfortable or a comfortable and unsafe shin guard. The aim of this study is to make the packaging of the shear thickening fluid manufacturable. The combination of the packaging and the shear thickening fluid are meant to make the shin guard comfortable during normal activities, like walking, and become hard when an impact occurs, like a kick from another player. The designed packaging consists of two sheets of the elastomer POE that get shaped into a hollow honeycomb by blow molding. During blow molding both sheets are processed into the packaging of the shear thickening fluid. Next, the packaging gets filled with shear thickening fluid in order to finish the protective part of the new shin guard. The total weight of the protective parts is 222,2 grams per leg. Additionally, the production costs of the shin guard are estimated at €46,69 for one player when they are custom made and €19,19 when they are made in confection sizes. Prototypes have been made during this study to prove the manufacturability of the design. Additionally, impact tests have been conducted with these prototypes to investigate the protection that is offered by the new shin guard. The impact tests demonstrate that the new shin guard distributes the pressure caused by the impact poorly compared to an existing shin guard. The existing shin guard spreads the pressure over a larger surface area and subsequently distributes the pressure more gradual. A better pressure distribution is related to better protection against injuries. Additionally, it has been observed that the new shin guard absorbs impact energy well. Upon impact the striker came to an immediate halt after it hit the new shin guard during impact tests, while the striker bounced a few times after it hit the existing shin guard. Data to support the observed absorption is lacking. Because of this, it is unclear whether or not the absorption of the new shin guards is sufficient to compensate for its poor pressure distribution. Lastly, the shear thickening material D3O was also investigated during the impact tests. This material showed similar results to the new shin guard: poor distribution of the pressure and good absorption. The density of the D3O material is much lower than that of the prototype, though. Concluding, this study has shown that the new shin guard performs worse on pressure distribution and better on energy absorption compared to an existing shin guard. Because of the similar performance and the lower density of D3O, this material is believed to be a better candidate for a new shin guard than the concept developed in this study, provided that its absorption is good enough to compensate for the poor pressure distribution.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:20 art studies
Programme:Industrial Design BSc (56955)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/63909
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