Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Analysis on a Two Wheeler Helmet using PTC Creo

and Ansys Software for Carbon Fiber, ABS & GFRP
Materials
1
Nara Venkat Kishore, 2Amara Ramanjaneyulu, 3G.Mahendra, 4P.Ashok Kumar
1, 2
Asst. Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engg., DBS Institute of Technology, Kavali, SPSR Nellore (D.t), AP.
3, 4
Asst. Professor, Dept. of Mech, NOVA College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, R.R.(D.t), TS.

Abstract:- Helmet plays an essential role in reducing the contact hard road surfaces. This is why wearing a helmet is
rate of accidents. Motorcyclists are more prone to crash so important.
injuries than car drivers because motorcycles are
unenclosed, leaving the rider vulnerable to contact hard II. MATERIALS USED
road surfaces. There are many types of helmets depend
upon the field where it is using like riding, sports, etc. Types of synthetic fiber used to make some helmets:
The objective of the work deals with the design and  Carbon Fiber
analysis of the helmet under specified boundary  Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
conditions and loadings for the three different materials  Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester resin (GFRP)
namely, Carbon Fiber, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
(ABS) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester resin In former times lightweight non-metallic protecting
(GFRP). We are deigning the module in PTC Creo and materials and strong transparent materials for visors were not
compare the impact resistance of the three materials available. Most helmets are made from resin or plastic,
using Ansys and suggesting the best material for better which may be reinforced with fibers as the above mentioned
performance. This type of impact resistance analysis is ones.
likely to carry out to determine the best suitable material
for the given conditions. III. DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF HELMET

Keywords:- Carbon Fiber, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene The present work explains the behaviour of the helmet
(ABS) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester resin (GFRP), made of different materials virtually under static as well as
Impact Resistance. dynamic loading. The model of helmet is prepared in PTC
Creo software; meshed using Hypermesh and ANSYS as a
I. INTRODUCTION FEM tool to study the behaviour of the helmet under
different loads. Analysis is performed with different
Head injuries due to motorcycle accident cause a great materials i.e Carbon Fiber, ABS and GFRP in three different
deal of concern because it may lead to death and permanent directions to predict the suitable material for making the
disability. Several analyses and experiments on the helmet. A set of estimated results are found out by using the
motorcycle helmet have been performed. Vetter and analyzing software.
Vanderby (1987) developed a non linear finite element
model for the static analysis of helmet. Gilchrist and Mills For designing a helmet model, the standard designing
(1994) performed impact analysis of a motorcycle helmet by parameters are followed. The British, American standards as
using an equivalent model of mass, spring, and damper. well as the IS are preferred mostly.
Yetham et al (1994) carried out a finite element parametric
study of impact response of the helmet. However, the
accuracy of their model was limited because used coarse
mesh. Recentlt, Kostopouls et al (2002) performed impact
analysis of a helmet-head form system using the finite
element code LS-DYNA3D.

Head injury is the most common cause of severe

injuries in motorcycle accidents. Compared with cars,
motorcycles are especially dangerous. Per km traveled, the
number of deaths on motorcycles is about 14 times the
number in cars. Motorcycles often have excessive
performance capabilities, including especially rapid
acceleration and high top speed. They're less stable than cars
in emergency braking and less visible. Motorcyclists are
more prone to crash injuries than car drivers because
Fig 1:- Designing Dimensions
motorcycles are unenclosed, leaving the rider vulnerable to

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
A. Circumference of the helmet the import of CAD geometry to exporting ready-to-run
Table 1. shows the various sizes of the helmets used in solver file.
all the countries. In this work the medium sized helmet is
considered for analysis.  Meshed Model of Helmet
In this meshed model, SHELL 63 is used as element type.
X XX
Size XXS S M L XL
S L

Circumfer 55- 57- 60-

53 54 59 62
ence (cm) 56 58 61
Table 1. Head circumference

B. Modeling using PTC Creo

PTC Creo, formerly known as ProE is
a 3D CAD, CAM, CAE and associative solid Fig 5:- Meshed model of helmet
modelling application.
 Meshed Assembly of Helmet and Anvil
In this meshed model, SHELL 163 is used as element
type for both helmet and anvil.

Fig 2:- Sketch of Helmet Body

Fig 6:- Meshed Assembly of helmet and anvil

IV. DROP TEST

It involves dropping an object from some height in a

gravitational field onto a flat, rigid surface by neglecting
surface friction. The basic procedure outlined here assumes
that the object has a zero initial velocity, and the object is
being dropped onto a target that lies in a plane which is
Fig 3:- Sketch of Anvil normal to the direction of the acceleration due to gravity.

A. Drop Test at a Velocity of 8.5 m/sec

Figure 7. shows drop test of helmet before hits the
anvil at 8.5 m/s

Fig 4:- Assemble of Helmet Body and Anvil

C. Meshing using Hyper Mesh

Altair Hypermesh is a market-leading, multi-
disciplinary finite element pre-processor which manages the Fig 7:- Helmet before hitting the anvil
generation of the largest, most complex models, starting with

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Figure 8. Shows drop test helmet after hitting the anvil Figure 12. Shows drop test helmet after hitting the
at 8.5 m/s anvil at 9.5 m/s.

Fig 8:- Helmet after hitting the anvil

Fig 12:- Helmet after hitting anvil
Figure 9. Shows the maximum stress value of the
helmet after hitting the anvil. Figure 13. Shows the maximum stress value helmet
after hitting the anvil.

Fig 9:- helmet in contact with anvil

Fig 13:- helmet in contact with anvil
Figure 10. Shows the deformed shape of helmet after
hitting the anvil at 8.5 m/sec.
Figure 14. Shows the deformed shape of the helmet
model at 9.5 m/sec.

Fig 10:- Deformed shape of helmet after hitting the anvil

B. Drop Test at a Velocity of 9.5 m/sec Fig 14:- Deformed shape of helmet after hitting the anvil
Figure 11. Shows drop test of helmet before hits the
anvil at 9.5 m/s. Velocity (m/s) Maximum stress (MPa)
8.5 5165
9.5 5985
Table 2. Drop Test Results

From the drop test analysis results velocity is directly

proportional to maximum stress.

Fig 11:- Helmet before hitting anvil

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
V. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

In this work structural analysis carried out by giving

load on different portions (Top, Rear, Side, Chin and
Forehead) of helmet and the deflection, stresses were
analyzed for different outer shell materials (Carbon Fiber,
ABS, GFRP).

A. Load applied on different portions

Fig 19:- Load applied on Fore Head portion

VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. For Carbon Fiber Material

The following figures show the deflection and stress
distribution of helmet for different load values as Carbon
Fiber is a outer shell material.

 Load on Top surface

Fig 15:- Load applied on Top portion

Fig 20:- Stress Distribution at 350 N

Fig 16:- Load applied on Rear portion

Fig 21:- Stress Distribution at 700 N

Fig 17:- Load applied on Side portion

Fig 22:- Stress Distribution at 1050 N

Fig 18:- Load applied on Chin portion

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 23:- Stress Distribution at 1400 N Fig 27:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

 Load on Rear surface  Load on Side surface

Fig 24:- Stress distribution at 350 N Fig 28:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 25:- Stress distribution at 700 N Fig 29:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 26:- Stress distribution at 1050 N Fig 30:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 31:- Stress distribution at 1400 N Fig 35:- stress distribution at 1400 N

 Load on Chin surface  Load on Forehead surface

Fig 32:- Stress distribution at 350 N Fig 36:- stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 33:- Stress distribution at 700 N Fig 37:- stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 34:- stress distribution at 1050 N Fig 38:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 39:- stress distribution at 1400 N Fig 43:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

B. For Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Material  Loads on Rear surface

The following figures show the deflection and stress
distribution of helmet for different load values as ABS is a
outer shell material.

 Load on Top surface

Fig 44:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 40:- stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 45:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 41:- stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 46:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

Fig 42:- stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 47:- Stress distribution at 1400 N Fig 51:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

 Loads on Side surface  Loads on Chin surface

Fig 52:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 48:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 53:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 49:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 50:- Stress distribution at 1050N Fig 54:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 59:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

Fig 55:- Stress distribution at 1400 N
C. For Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester resin (GFRP)
 Loads on Forehead surface Material
The following figures show the deflection and stress
distribution of helmet for different load values as GFRP is a
outer shell material.

 Loads on Top surface

Fig 56:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 60:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 57:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 61:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 58:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

Fig 62:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
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Fig 63:- Stress distribution at 1400 N Fig 67:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

 Loads on Rear surface  Loads on Side surface

Fig 64:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 68:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 65:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 69:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 66:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

Fig 70:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165

Fig 75:- Stress distribution at 1400 N

Fig 71:- Stress distribution at 1400 N
 Loads on Forehead surface
 Loads on Chin surface

Fig 76:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 72:- Stress distribution at 350 N

Fig 77:- stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 73:- Stress distribution at 700 N

Fig 78:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

Fig 74:- Stress distribution at 1050 N

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
Load (N)
Shell Material
350N 700N 1050N 1400N
Carbon Fiber 7.219 15.66 27.643 33.42
ABS 8.063 16.556 25.065 33
GFRP 8.439 15.514 28.61 32.5
Table 7. Maximum stress (MPa) for helmet when applied on
the side surface

Load (N)
Shell Material
350N 700N 1050N 1400N
Carbon Fiber 0.031 0.133 0.2 0.2231
Fig 79:- Stress distribution at 1400 N
ABS 0.0599 0.117 0.177 0.234
D. Comparing between Maximum Stress and Deflection for GFRP 0.5249 1.054 1.742 2.079
Different Materials on Different Surfaces of Helmet Table 8. Maximum deflection (m) for helmet when applied
on the side surface
Load (N)
Shell Material Load (N)
350N 700N 1050N 1400N Shell Material
Carbon Fiber 9.67 20.074 29.88 40.148 350N 700N 1050N 1400N
ABS 9.621 18.399 29.02 40 Carbon Fiber 5.852 10.822 14.057 21.644
GFRP 9.019 17.396 28.441 39.316 ABS 5.345 10.682 15.331 20.441
Table 3. Maximum stress (MPa) of helmet when load applied GFRP 3.685 7.416 14.08 16.879
on the top surface Table 9. Maximum stress (MPa) for helmet when applied on
the chin surface
Load (N)
Shell Material Load (N)
350N 700N 1050N 1400N Shell Material
Carbon Fiber 0.0741 0.154 0.23 0.309 350N 700N 1050N 1400N
ABS 0.128 0.243 0.39 0.5469 Carbon Fiber 0.00584 0.0107 0.0109 0.0215
GFRP 1.084 2.085 3.466 4.84 ABS 0.008 0.0175 0.028 0.0379
Table 4. Maximum deflection (m) for helmet when load GFRP 0.0652 0.132 0.246 0.298
applied on the top surface Table 10. Maximum deflection (m) for helmet when applied
on the chin surface
Load (N)
Shell Material Load (N)
350N 700N 1050N 1400N Shell Material
Carbon Fiber 2.103 4.233 6.166 8.645 350N 700N 1050N 1400N
ABS 2.03 4.03 6.03 7.2 Carbon Fiber 5.417 11.255 17.641 21.782
GFRP 2.129 3.974 6.09 7.314 ABS 5.513 12.599 16.899 20.457
Table 5. Maximum stress (MPa) for helmet when applied on GFRP 5.508 13.811 16.653 19.334
the rear surface Table 11. Maximum stress (MPa) when applied load on the
forehead surface
Load (N)
Shell Material Load (N)
350N 700N 1050N 1400N Shell Material
Carbon Fiber 0.0147 0.0297 0.0433 0.0594 350N 700N 1050N 1400N
ABS 0.0249 0.049 0.0779 0.0881 Carbon Fiber 0.00584 0.0107 0.01094 0.0215
GFRP 0.2354 0.438 0.6707 0.806 ABS 0.0310 0.1323 0.2 0.2231
Table 6. Maximum deflection (m) for helmet when applied GFRP 0.4581 1.373 1.439 1.546
on the rear surface Table 12. Maximum deflection (m) when applied load on the
forehead surface

From the results for deflection variation under static

analysis done on the top, rear, side, chin and Forehead surface
of the helmet. It indicates the variation of maximum
deflection values under different loading conditions. It can be

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Volume 3, Issue 7, July – 2018 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
concluded from the table that different materials behave
differently for varying conditions of loading and also
CARBON FIBER posseses good characteristics under
different loading conditions.

VII. CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE

In this work the drop test analysis of motorcycle

helmet and static analysis of helmet was done for different
materials at different load values in various positions.

The conclusions drawn from this work are stated below

 The drop test of carbon fiber helmet shows the stress
values for 8.5 m/s and 9.5 m/s velocities
 The static analysis shows the stress and deflection
values of different materials

From the results it’s observed that the Carbon Fiber

with stand more stresses and it gives less deflection for
different load conditions. It’s felt that Carbon Fiber is
suitable material for a helmet outer shell.

It’s also suggested in future the drop test can be done

for various materials at different velocities. Also it is
suggested that by considering the human head form model
inside the helmet we can analyze the helmet as well as
human head form.

REFERENCES

[1]. Finite element analysis of the effect of motorcycle

helmet materials against impact velocity by Li-Tung
Chang, Guan-Liang Chang, Ji-Zhen Huang, Shyh-Chour
Huang, De-Shin Liu and Chih-Han Chang.
[2]. Finite element analysis and experiment study of
motorcycle helmet by Thai, Huu-Tai kim, Seung-Eock
(2006).
[3]. A New Oblique Impact Test for Motorcycle Helmets by
P.Halldin, A. Gilchrist.
[4]. Motorcycle helmet test head form and test apparatus by
David R. Thorn Hugh, H. Hurt, Jr.Terry A. Smith.
[5]. New motorcycle helmets with metal foam by Praveen K.
Pinnoji, Nicolas Bourdet, Puneet Mahajan (2008).
[6]. Finite element modeling of helmeted head impact under
frontal loading by Praveen Kumar pinnoji, puneet
mahajan.
[7]. Finite element analysis of composite ballistic helmet
subjected to high velocity by Rozaini bin Othman
(2003).

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