TY - GEN
T1 - The use of shear thickening polymer as a hip protecter
AU - Lee, Taeyong
AU - Hwang, Dong Gyu
AU - Ogihara, Naomichi
AU - Ito, Kohta
N1 - Funding Information:
*Research supported by Korea NRF (2-2016-1057-001-1). T. L. is with the Division of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Korea (phone: +82 2 3277 2795; fax: +82 2 3277 2846; e-mail: tlee@ewha.ac.kr). D. H. is with the Division of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Korea (e-mail: hdg9210@gmail.com).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 IEEE.
PY - 2017/9/13
Y1 - 2017/9/13
N2 - External hip protectors are used by the elderly in preventing hip fracture due to sideway falls. There are some commercial hip protectors which has both energy absorbing and energy shunting properties. In this study, a novel hip protector using shear thickening polymer (STP) is studied. The purpose of this work is to determine the optimal thickness of STP needed for maximum force attenuation. A mechanical test rig to simulate a person falling with sufficient impact energy to fracture the greater trochanter if unprotected was used together with biofidelic femur model which simulates the layer of flesh with skin. 8mm of STP together with 5mm foam gives the best force attenuation. When comparing the overall thickness with commercial hip protectors, STP hip protectors tested have much less thickness. Reduced thickness increases the compliance and comfort of STP hip protectors.
AB - External hip protectors are used by the elderly in preventing hip fracture due to sideway falls. There are some commercial hip protectors which has both energy absorbing and energy shunting properties. In this study, a novel hip protector using shear thickening polymer (STP) is studied. The purpose of this work is to determine the optimal thickness of STP needed for maximum force attenuation. A mechanical test rig to simulate a person falling with sufficient impact energy to fracture the greater trochanter if unprotected was used together with biofidelic femur model which simulates the layer of flesh with skin. 8mm of STP together with 5mm foam gives the best force attenuation. When comparing the overall thickness with commercial hip protectors, STP hip protectors tested have much less thickness. Reduced thickness increases the compliance and comfort of STP hip protectors.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032205937&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/EMBC.2017.8037152
DO - 10.1109/EMBC.2017.8037152
M3 - Conference contribution
C2 - 29060196
AN - SCOPUS:85032205937
T3 - Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
SP - 1633
EP - 1635
BT - 2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2017
Y2 - 11 July 2017 through 15 July 2017
ER -