Fatigue testing machine : To simulate daily use on multi-directional impact protection systems in helmets

Sammanfattning: During the development process of a product, tests are typically conducted to ensure the quality of the features of the product before it is made available to the public. The scope of this project was to find a realistic and reliable way to test components in a Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS) in fully mounted helmets. The reason for this type of testing is to ensure that all components included in the Brain Protection System (BPS) hold up over time in daily use. Therefore, the goal with this project was to design and build a new test machine that could simulate the long-term effects of material fatigue on the MIPS BPS. The machine was able to shake a head with a helmet attached to it to simulate the lifecycle use of a helmet in a shorter time span. The motion of the machine was powered by a stepper motor who is connected to a rocker arm, that transfers a rotational motion to a linear motion, heaving a plate with the head attached to it. The motor is controlled by an Arduino which receives signals from a control panel that enables adjustments to the number of cycles that the machine runs. This report describes the main components, design and function of the machine.