Walking On Volume 5, Issue 9, September 2018 | Page 10

Back to Basics
What Makes a Helmet Safe?
By Riders4Helmets • riders4helmets.com
An inside look at the different parts of the helmet.
Gone are the days of simple hard plastic with a
velveteen outer layer. Nowadays, helmets are held to a
much higher standard of safety testing. They’re more
aerodynamic and better padded, without adding extra
weight, and they are stylish so riders will want to wear
them. The safety of every ride is the main goal for each
helmet manufacturer as they strive year after year to
develop the safest helmet they can, while keeping it
comfortable, attractive, and easy to wear.
A few of the top helmet manufacturers around the
world shared with us some of their most important
components when it comes to making helmets.
The Outer Shell
Each component of the helmet is equally import-
ant, but it’s the outer shell that gets the most attention
because it’s easily seen. The outer shell’s material must
be made of something that can prevent penetration
from an object such as a sharp rock or a horse’s hoof.
Manufacturers these days work to find the most stylish
design that’s lightweight, yet functional.
10 • Walking On
Ovation helmets, the Troxel Spirit helmet, and Back
On Track’s Trauma Void helmets all have an outer shell
that is made out of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(ABS) thermoplastic. What is ABS thermoplastic? It is
an engineering plastic that is easy to make and fabri-
cate, and is a proven material for structural applica-
tions when impact resistance, strength and stiffness are
required, such as a helmet.
The Gatehouse helmet is also constructed from a
thermoplastic, with the additional of carbon fiber or
aramid additional reinforcement.
The Middle Layer
The middle layer of the helmet is what should ab-
sorb the majority of the impact from a fall or accident.
Liners can be made from expanded polystyrene—
which is a very lightweight product made of expanded
polystyrene beads—made of more than 95 percent air
and only about 5 percent foam. Expanded polystyrene,
like that found in Gatehouse and Troxel helmets, has
strong shock absorbing properties and is compression
resistant.