Abstract des Autors

There has been a long debate among researchers on whether soccer heading is capable of causing brain trauma. A recent study
suggests that headings exceeding a threshold level of 855 to 1,550 per year, results in microstructural abnormalities in the
brain’s white matter. This shows that brain trauma is caused by cumulative effect of repetitive headings. The use of protective
headgear is one of the suggested preventive measures to protect the brain especially for younger players. Researchers have
tested several commercial headgears and found that they are only effective in head-to-head impact, but ineffective in
attenuating impact caused by heading. This is due to the fact that soccer ball is compliant in nature relative to the head. The aim
of this study is to investigate materials that can be utilised to minimise the acceleration of the brain caused by soccer heading. A
vertical drop ball test was conducted on an instrumented dummy skull. The inner cavity of the skull is filled with ultrasound gel
that represents the brain. Six impact-absorbing materials were tested to determine the most effective material that reduces the
acceleration of the brain substitute. The speed of the ball before and after impact as well as impact duration were measured
using high-speed camera. Coefficient of restitution was calculated to ensure the material is not only capable of reducing the
brain acceleration, but also maintains heading performance. It was found that polymer kneepad foam is the most effective
material that minimises the acceleration of brain substitute whilst maintaining the speed of the ball after impact.