Research teams from the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University and Army Research Laboratory have partnered to study the human skull to support the development of advanced helmets, Nextgov reported Friday.
The teams conducted experiments on bone mechanics that made use of x-rays and imaging techniques to help inform the design of more protective headgear for service members. Data from the experiments will be analyzed through computational models to provide insight into bone dissemination.
“At the end of the day, if this leads to a better helmet that makes the people wearing them less susceptible to injury—I mean that’s the ultimate goal,†said Jonathan Almer, physicist and group leader for the X-Ray Science Division at the Argonne.
The DOE national laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source unit is also working with the Air Force Research Lab on materials engineering research involving aerospace-related elements such as nickel, aluminum and titanium.