Efficacy of Density in Predicting the Protective Properties of Padded Clothing in Rugby

Imam, Syed, Driscoll, Heather, Winwood, Keith, Venkatraman, Prabhuraj ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4290-4510 and Allen, Tom ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4910-9149 (2020) Efficacy of Density in Predicting the Protective Properties of Padded Clothing in Rugby. Proceedings, 49 (1). p. 38.

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Abstract

World Rugby™ permits players to wear padded clothing meeting the requirements of Regulation-12, which limits density, thickness and impact performance. Due to non-uniform geometry, measuring the density of padding can be challenging and provides limited information on mechanical properties. This study investigated how well density could predict the impact performance of rugby padding, whilst reviewing compliance parameters as alternatives. Eleven samples of rugby padding, plus one control material, were tested for compliance, then impacted at energies of 4.9, 9.8 and 14.7 J using the setup as defined in Regulation-12, and finally cut to calculate density. The density and compliance parameters were correlated against peak impact accelerations using a Spearman’s rank test. Density was not significantly correlated with peak acceleration at any energy level, with compliance tests significantly correlated with impact acceleration at only 4.9 J.