Computational Design of a Road Safety Model Elaborated in Epoxy Material Reinforced with Glass Fibers and SiO2 Addition

According to data from the World Health Organization (2018), road accidents are considered one of the main causes of mortality worldwide. The highest number of deaths occurs in motorcycle road accidents since the skull protection helmet does not effectively protect the life of the user. Globally, only 17% of countries have established standards to determine the quality of protective helmets. In this research, a Full-Helmet type road protection helmet was built to evaluate the mechanical behavior of a material made of epoxy resin reinforced with glass fibers and the addition of silicon nanoparticles, and to determine the efficiency of the design. Based on the Standard of the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification (ICONTEC-2017), an external pressure condition was determined on the front of the model, 0.01 MPa. The mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, Poisson's radius, densities, among others, were established. Computational implementations were made based on the Finite Elements technique. Likewise, computational tests were carried out incorporating conventional materials (ABS), in order to make comparisons of the effectiveness of the material between both designs. The results reflected an excellent mechanical contribution of the material reinforced with glass fibers and particles in comparison with the design implemented by means of conventional materials. As a result, approximately 30% of the ability to absorb mechanical impact energy was obtained. This research allows to present other alternatives of special materials to improve the mechanical properties of road protection helmets, with densities that do not increase the robustness or weight of the design.