Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2019 Feb;47(2):453-463. doi: 10.1007/s10439-018-02144-6. Epub 2018 Oct 25.
Infield softball masks are intended to reduce facial fracture risk, but are rarely worn. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of infield masks' ability to attenuate facial fracture risk over a range of designs and materials. To simulate batted ball impacts, a customized pitching machine was used to propel softballs at 24.6 ± 0.51 m/s. The balls impacted locations centered over the maxilla and zygoma bones of a FOCUS headform. The FOCUS headform was attached to a 50th percentile Hybrid III neck and secured to a slider table. Facial fracture risk of each facial bone was compared between masks and impact locations using peak resultant forces. Analysis of these data showed that the mask material and the distance between the mask and the impacted facial bone were key factors in determining a mask's performance. The effectiveness of masks varied. It was found that a metal mask with a separation distance ≥ 35 mm away from the maxilla and ≥ 25 mm away from the zygoma best reduced facial fracture risk for these test configurations. Plastic masks performed worse because they excessively deformed allowing ball contact with the face. This study assesses various mask designs for their ability to reduce facial fracture and suggests design recommendations based on the impact configurations tested.
内场垒球面具旨在降低面部骨折风险，但很少有人佩戴。本研究的目的是评估各种设计和材料的内场面具在降低面部骨折风险方面的有效性。为了模拟击球的影响，使用定制的投球机以 24.6±0.51 m/s 的速度将垒球推出。球撞击的位置集中在 FOCUS 头模的上颌骨和颧骨上。FOCUS 头模连接到 50 百分位 Hybrid III 颈部，并固定在滑车上。使用峰值合成力比较面具和撞击位置的每个面部骨的骨折风险。对这些数据的分析表明，面具材料和面具与受撞击面部骨之间的距离是决定面具性能的关键因素。面具的效果各不相同。结果发现，对于这些测试配置，金属面具与上颌骨的距离≥35mm 且与颧骨的距离≥25mm 可最大程度降低面部骨折风险。塑料面具的效果较差，因为它们过度变形，使球与面部接触。本研究评估了各种面具设计降低面部骨折的能力，并根据测试的撞击配置提出了设计建议。
