Ballistic impact analysis of an advanced combat helmet with interior cushioning system on a Hybrid3 headform

The paper presents a novel methodology in employing computed tomography (CT) not only in failure analysis but also to obtain CAD geometries of the combat helmet, interior foam paddings, and the Hybrid3 headform. These components are then adequately meshed and finite element (FE) analyses subsequently performed. The FE results correlated very well with those from ballistic experiments. With the model validated, the research group will investigate a range of material properties for the foam padding so as to understand better the mechanics of stress propagation to the headform during ballistic impact.