Padding as Protection and Arrestor Beds

Padding as protection during sports

The same principle explains why wicket keepers in cricket use padded gloves or why there are padded mats in gymnastics. In cricket, when the wicket keeper catches the ball, the padding is slightly compressible, thus reducing the effect of the force on the wicket keepers hands. Similarly, if a gymnast falls, the padding compresses and reduces the effect of the force on the gymnast's body.

Wicket-keeper in characteristic full squatting position, wearing gloves and facing a delivery from a slow pace or spin bowler. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Arrestor beds for trucks

An arrestor bed is a patch of ground that is softer than the road. Trucks use these when they have to make an emergency stop. When a trucks reaches an arrestor bed the time interval over which the momentum is changed is increased. This decreases the force and causes the truck to slow down.

This truck arrestor bed is located on the Great Eastern Highway in Perth, Western Australia. The orange colouration of the gravel is due to the lateritic profile, and common to the area. To the right of the arrester bed is a service road for bed maintenance/truck removal. Safety signage includes "Truck Arrester Bed" to the left and right of the bed, as well as "No Standing in Arrester Bed" (as required by traffic design codes). Image credit: public domain