Flexible Armour

Abstract

Field hockey is a growing sport in the Netherlands, where both the male and female national squads belong amongst the best teams in the world. Field hockey requires a lot of technical capabilities from the player, which not all players possess. This sometimes leads to uncontrolled strikes of the ball, which can lead to accidents and injuries. Players wear protection equipment to prevent as much injury as possible. Current protection equipment causes discomfort, which decreases the level of hockey performance. The goal of the project is to improve a part of the protection gear for field hockey applications by enhancing comfort without compromising safety. The following problem definition is applicable in this project: “How can the current protection gear for field hockey be improved in terms of comfort, while maintaining sufficient protection to prevent injuries?” Field hockey is relatively dangerous, even though protection equipment is mandatory and widely available in all shapes and sizes. According to research conducted by Veiligheid.nl 110.000 injuries occur in the Netherlands alone each year, which is high considering there are 248.859 players. This is 6.2 injuries every 1000 hours, which is three times more then sports in general. 48.000 injuries require medical attention. 10.000 players annually visit the emergency room, for more immediate attention, yet less then 1% has to be admitted in the hospital, which is much lower than sports average(5%). The risk of sustaining an injury is higher, but the effect is less severe can be concluded. Statistics show that the lower leg would benefit most of a new type of protection equipment The interaction between the player and the protection equipment should accommodate each other as much as possible, which in term will effect the perceived discomfort. The lower leg consists of different types of tissue, where muscle, bone, ligaments and nerves all have a specific function and react differently to the product and the surroundings. Drop test experiments show that a collision of equal energy on bone results in three times more stress compared to muscle, due to shorter impact time, impact distance and smaller surface area. A lot of different movements is required in the game, which result in a lot of different joint positions. These all have to be related to the lower leg protector. Current protection uses the same material composition for the protection of these tissues, which is not related to the interaction with the player and cause discomfort. Consumer research shows that comfort could be improved by enhancing the fit, coverage, and regulation of heat and moisture. The same amount of protection is required, but statistics suggest that current protection does not accurately protects the leg. Flexible Armour is a concept of lower leg protection that focuses on specific and accurate protection for the lower leg, while allowing the leg to following the natural movements without causing unwanted friction. The concept consists of a sock with special designed embedded padding structure and a plastic shield. The sock acts as a compression socks and tightly pulls the padding structure as close to the leg as possible. The plastic shield is inserted and makes sure that the entire protection equipment stays in place, while providing extra protection where it is required. Different types of protection are incorporated, specific to the area that is covered. The ankle is protected by a highly flexible and chamfered set of padding in combination with a plastic housing called the APS(Ankle Protection System). The padding allows all ranges of motion of the ankle, without compromising on coverage and protection. Additional coverage for the front-, under- and backside of the ankle provide extra protection compared to current protection. The plastic shield protects the near surface shin and calve bone and acts as a damper that redirects forces to the muscle tissue around the bones as much as possible. The knee is protected by a special padded design, which reduce the peak forces and stresses up to 50% compared to no protection. The sock is a highly flexible material which allows a large range of ankle, calf an knee circumferences to fit within one single size of the product. The padded sides are flexible and follow the curves of the leg without clamping the calf. Both geometry and material allows a better fit for the target group, within a small, medium and large sizing system. Dissipation of heat and moisture is possible via a special vent design in the padding. The vent is shaped like a funnel, which creates a large surface area for ball impact on the outside and a large surface area for thermal regulation close to the leg. Flexible Armour is a design that is much more specifically designed to combine comfort and protection in a harmonic way, without them compromising on each other. Protecting and allowing movement where the human body requires. It can be the philosophy and inspiration for all types of protection equipment in the future.