Investigation and improvement in the level of safety provided by wrist protection devices used in roller-skating
Abstract
This work presents a critical study of the one style of wrist protection currently available to the users of in-line skates. As wrist injuries are the most common injury among in-line skaters, and the in-line skate business is growing tremendously, the problem of wrist injuries is a significant problem to be addressed. Both two- and five-degree-of-freedom models of a human falling was created to study the dynamics of impacts due to falls. The equations of motion were derived by hand, and the results were compared to results obtained by using both ADAMS and ANSYS commercial codes. These computer models provided a method to evaluate the dynamics of falling. A study of dependence of the force on model parameters was conducted to determine the relative importance of the parameters. The coefficient of friction was also studied to determine its effect on the dynamics of falls and the resulting impact forces. With the initial study on falling completed, the five-degree-of-freedom model was extended by the addition of a model of the existing wrist protection. The model was tested and showed that the brace reduced the impact forces felt by the wrist. The brace was then optimized and further reductions in force were realized. Conclusions and recommendations are presented for further improvements and study.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Krousgrill, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Mechanical engineering|Biomedical research|Occupational safety|Sports medicine
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