Alpinestars Bionic BNS TECH 2 Benutzerinformationen Seite 9

BIONIC NECK SUPPORT - IMPORTANT USER INFORMATION
8. What you really should know about how the
BNS Works
For all the technology that is involved in the BNS it actually performs a relatively simple func-
tion – it serves as an alternative load path around the neck redistributing the compressive
and injury causing forces that would normally be applied to the neck in an accident to other
parts of the body, thereby reducing the chance of a catastrophic injury.
Water Analogy of Compression Injuries
In this section an analogy using water is demonstrated to help users understand how and
when load, or force, is transferred away from the neck by the Bionic. To do this we need to
think of the neck as a pipe and the load as water. Objects that are hard transfer load well,
and objects that are soft don't.
Figure 19 – Analogy of the neck
Figure 19
as a pipe.
In figure 19 the neck is represented as a narrow pipe in a water system. Figure 20 illustrates
what happens when too much water is forced through the narrow pipe in a short period of
time – it bursts. Applying the analogy to the neck itself, in an accident resulting in an impact
to the top of the head which would cause a large load (or force) to be transferred to the neck
in a short period of time, the neck will respond like the pipe – it will fracture.
Improving load transfer - or in other words - easing the water flow
Continuing the water analogy, it can be agreed that to stop the pipe from bursting we need
to either reduce the flow of water, make the pipe bigger/stronger, or add a second pipe. The
flow of water, like the force applied to one's head in an accident, is dependent on external
factors that cannot readily be controlled. Similarly, like the "pipe", the neck is standard in
size & strength with regard to each person's body and as such can't be changed. As a result,
the only realistic option is to add a second pipe to divert some of the water, or load, away
from the first pipe. That is essentially what you are trying to do by wearing the Bionic Neck
Support - divert force away from the neck and into the BNS (the "second pipe.") Unfortu-
nately, because a gap must be maintained between the helmet and the Bionic to allow for
head mobility while riding, it is as if the second pipe is not present at all times.
This means that if, during an accident situation, you receive an impact to your head be-
fore establishing contact between the helmet and BNS, the outcome may be the same as
wearing nothing at all. The graph in Figure 21 illustrates this. The black traces represent a
Hybrid III crash test dummy receiving an impact to the top of the head of 573 Joules, and
the red traces represent the same setup, but when wearing a BNS where no contact was
established between the helmet and the Bionic prior to impact. As can be seen, in such a
case there is essentially no difference between wearing and not wearing the device. Thus,
users MUST be aware that in the most critical situations it is still very possible to
break your neck even when wearing a Bionic Neck Support or a similar product.
Figure 20 – Impact is represented
Figure 20
by sudden rush of water
Figure 21 – Graph of Neck Forces during axial impact to Head of Hybrid III Dummy.
Getting a benefit from the Bionic Neck Support
Understandably this may make some users question the point of the product. You need the
gap to be able to ride normally and turn your head but, consequently the force cannot au-
tomatically be transferred. The benefit comes when there IS contact between the helmet
and BNS, or if the gap between the helmet and the BNS is very small. Using the water
analogy again, Figure 22 below shows the difference in an impact if the head happens to be
tilted back into contact with different types of protection. To help explain this it needs to be
understood that objects that are hard transfer force well and objects that are soft don't. For
example if you sit on a wooden chair it will support you (the load) immediately, but if you sit
on a sofa you will sink down on the cushions – which are in effect slowing the load transfer
of your body onto the frame underneath. This is why the Bionic is substantially hard – even
the foam parts - as the harder it is, the better the load, or force, being applied to your head in
an accident will be transferred around and away from your neck. Analyzing the figure, when
wearing no brace, the system is largely unchanged, although it is good advice to tilt your
head back even if wearing no BNS. When wearing a soft neck roll, a second "pipe" exists,
but the force transfer is so limited that, the majority of the force still travels through the
neck (the initial pipe). When wearing the BNS a rigid contact patch is created between the
helmet and BNS which creates a wider "second pipe" and it is in this case where you MAY
divert the force that would have been transferred through your neck and avoid a potentially
catastrophic neck injury.
No Protection Soft Collar
No additional routing Routing provided,
for water but very restrictive
– Analogies of load transfer when the head is tilted back. Figure 22 Figure 22
Figure 22
Rigid Support
Hard Contact gives a
good alternative route
Figure 22