NEW MOTORCYCLISTS PROTECTION SYSTEM MADE IN RECYCLED RUBBER

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to design a safety barrier to protect motorcyclists using, as a basis, rubber from used tires. The increase in motorcyclist's protection has been a constant demand of this collective in European countries for years. The designed barrier tries to respond this demand and in turn, create a new alternative for reuse rubber from used tires, thus contributing to solve the environmental problem created by this type of waste. The standard UNE 135900 defines the test methods to assess the behavior of the safety barriers and the level of protection against impact of motorists. It has been created a finite element model in LS-DYNA to reproduce the experimental tests which are necessary for the acceptance of the protection system. It has been used a model of the dummy that sets the standard, to which has been added a helmet. The model was validated and adjusted using test data from a previous prototype. After, several modifications to the original in order to meet the requirements of the standard are made. The final model of the barrier shows a lower severity than the initial prototype. In view of the results, it appears technically feasible the use of rubber for the manufacture of these motorcyclists protection systems.