The importance of protecting the rest of you

[rwh]

But if you whack your head on a lamp-post the helmet may offer less protection than you think. The Helmet protects against impacts by giving you an extra inch of decleration time. Thats it. Thats all it can do.

Not quite. It will also spread the load over a larger part of your head, reducing the pressure on any single point. My guess is that that is more significant than the inch of deceleration, but that's purely a guess. It probably won't help so much with the rattling of your brain, but might stop your skull cracking (depending on the force of the impact etc etc).

Richard

[rwh]

An ejector seat would atleast ensure we get a good view before we hit the top of the lamp post- the 5m fall to the ground wont be to kind though.

Never mind - you might get electrocuted before you have a chance to fall.

Ejecting under Wellington's trolley bus wires would be interesting too.

Richard

[The Stranger:Me]

I feel like a dull witted slow moving thug,I can't lift my arms above my shoulders,my neck has limited movement and can hardly move at the waist.

Hmm, there could be another explanation for this.

[ManDownUnder]

Hmm, there could be another explanation for this.

...bondage??

[Motu]

In truth I am a dull witted slow moving thug - I was hoping no one would notice the slip....

[davereid]

Nah thats not fair Motu - I don't think you're a thug...

[Hans]

Dead Right !
But if you whack your head on a lamp-post the helmet may offer less protection than you think. The Helmet protects against impacts by giving you an extra inch of decleration time. Thats it. Thats all it can do. !

Dead wrong. Not only does it spread the area, it dissipates the energy your head is carrying by turning it into heat, it does this through the internal friction of the polystyrene inner when it deforms. And by the way that inch you were talking about, it is an "extra inch" but it is also the only inch you're going to get as opposed to just hitting the lamppost. And as physics go, that is very, very important.
And as for what Rwh was saying, it actually stops your brain crashing into your skull. As well as preventing your skull actually breaking. And having your brain crash into your skull is much worse than breaking your skull. Skulls heal, brains don't.

[Squeak the Rat]

Skulls heal, brains don't.

They fucken better!

[davereid]

No sorry Hans, your having a fantasy.

You are trying to tell me that G forces can be denied with a bit of foam ?

The "energy" as you call it caused by this deceleration is fixed.

Its determined by the mass of your head, the speed at which deceleration commences, the speed at which deceleration ends, and the time taken for that to happen. Your brain is like water in a tank.
It has a mass, a start velocity and an end velocity.

ONLY adding time to the deceleration equation helps - you can't alter the start and finish speeds...

ie physics for dummies... THREE VARIABLES
1= start speed
2= finish speed
3= time

Your helmet provides TIME - a carefully managed distortion of a structure to assist your brain in deceleration. But can't invent MAGIC SHIT that makes it all better.

Rave Over !

[Motu]

The last few years I've been buying my gear with impact protection as first priority,I figure I don't need protection for sliding down the road at 225kph.But I worry about hitting something....experiance has shown me that is where the damage is done....for me at least.Good to see others are thinking the same.

[Hans]

Did I ever say denied? I meant lessened. And I think we pretty much agree in principle anyway. Not into the whole flame thing anyway...

[Edbear]

But I worry about hitting something....experiance has shown me that is where the damage is done....

Perzackly! I broke and dislocated my little finger as a teenager through thumping a schoolmate on the shoulder...!

I also fell off my pushbike into a ditch, landing on my head when I wuz 14! I think that's when my troubles began...

[Zapf]

any thoughts and ideas on products from these guys http://www.tprobodyarmour.co.uk/

http://www.tprobodyarmour.co.uk/technology.asp