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Experimental evaluation of impact-resistant gloves using surrogate hands
Faisal M Alessa1,2, Eduardo M Sosa3
1College of Engineering, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
Summary
Impact-resistant metacarpal gloves significantly reduce hand fractures in industrial settings. Testing with 3D-printed surrogate hands showed a substantial decrease in injury risk when wearing protective gloves.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Safety and Health
- Biomechanics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Hand and finger injuries are prevalent in high-risk industries like mining and oil/gas.
- Impact-resistant metacarpal gloves are commonly used for protection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact protection efficacy of standard metacarpal gloves.
- To quantify injury reduction using a novel surrogate hand model.
Main Methods:
- Developed 3D-printed surrogate hands with skeletal structures and synthetic gel tissues.
- Calibrated and validated surrogates against cadaveric specimen impact data.
- Conducted controlled impact tests on unprotected and gloved surrogate hands.
Main Results:
- Surrogate hands without protection sustained fractures in 77% of impacts.
- Protected hands showed a significant reduction in fractures, occurring in only 33% of impacts.
- Different glove types offered varying levels of impact force reduction.
Conclusions:
- Metacarpal gloves provide measurable protection against impact injuries in simulated industrial scenarios.
- The validated surrogate hand model is effective for testing protective equipment.
- Further research can optimize glove design for enhanced hand safety.
