Within human populations participating in
boxing there is likely to be considerable diversity in the thickness,
proportional composition and mechanical qualities of the interface between an
impact site and internal anatomical structures. Comprehensive determination of
the potential protective effects of pneumatic boxing gloves requires
understanding of the effects of realistic interface variation.
In this study, the
impact damping capabilities of four different boxing gloves were assessed under
two different conditions of target padding to determine whether target
characteristics might influence previous conclusions concerning potential for
impact mitigation through novel glove design. A conventional 10 oz glove
(Std 10 oz), a conventional 16 oz glove (Std 16 oz), a prototype
pneumatic glove with a sealed bladder (SBLI) and a prototype pneumatic glove
with a bladder allowing air exchange with the external environment (ARLI) were
each dropped three times on to a force plate from six heights ranging from 2.5
to 5.0 metres. The force plate was covered by a 50 mm thick mat of EVA material
and results obtained were compared with those of an earlier experiment
involving use of a similar protocol but a 25 mm thick EVA force plate covering.
The thicker mat
greatly reduced peak impact forces for all gloves, with values for the Std
10 oz glove becoming much closer to those reported by other researchers
for punches delivered by elite boxers to crash test manikins. Peak rates of
force development were also substantially decreased. Protective effects
provided by the ARLI glove relative to the Std 10 oz glove were diminished
but still in the order of 17% - 22% for peak impact force and
27% - 49% for peak rate of force development across the range of drop
heights. With the 50 mm mat thickness, the SBLI glove was as effective as the
ARLI glove in reducing peak impact force, whereas this was not the case with
the 25 mm mat. It was, however, always inferior to the ARLI glove in decreasing
peak rate of force development.
The ability of the
ARLI glove to afford protection across a spectrum of impact conditions could
yield important practical advantages. And the sustained
effectiveness under altered impact conditions suggests that it deserves to be
the focus of continuing developmental efforts.
Article by Paul
Perkins, et al, from Australia.
Full access: http://mrw.so/5gfXqY
评论
发表评论