As I raked leaves and mowed my lawn this spring, I could quickly tell that I was breathing in dust, pollen, and some nasty mold spores. It’s no wonder that I ended up with a scratchy throat, stuffy nose, and watery eyes. I took an antihistamine and felt better, but I decided to be more careful the next time I was doing yard work.

Coincidentally, my team at SIMULIA was writing a customer case study detailing the process that Kimberly-Clark is using to evaluate the realistic performance of their dust masks. The article made me consider the idea of wearing a dust mask while working in the yard. But dust masks are uncomfortable – and to be honest – I feel goofy and think I look a little scary wearing one.

But I was intrigued when I read the story about how Chris Pieper and his engineering team at Kimberly-Clark are creating 3D models of human facial movements using the same Hollywood technology used to make The Incredible Hulk movie. On top of that, they have figured out how to combine those models with Abaqus FEA to analyze realistic ontact pressure of their masks with the human face – that’s innovation!

Their story motivated me enough to go out and buy a dust mask to wear while doing yard work. While, I may still feel goofy and look scary, I’m breathing a lot easier.

Do you wear dust masks when working in dusty environments? What do you think about leveraging Hollywood technology with FEA? Do you think I look scary in a dust mask? If you feel motivated, leave a comment.

Best,

Tim