摘要: |
Blast energy-attenuation (EA) seats, although not new to the market, have not been fully characterized with respect to energy attenuation capability and the resulting effects on occupant protection. The U.S. Army - Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) Ground Systems Survivability (GSS) Interiors Seat Team tested and evaluated EA seats over a one-year period using a drop tower test method. Data from three different anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs, or crash test dummies) was recorded on tests in twelve different seat styles that were dropped at two different heights on the drop tower. The data was checked for quality and anomalies, and a method was developed to display all of the data in an easily referenced and understood format. This data was compared to the Army Research Lab / Survivability / Lethality / Analysis Directorate (ARL/SLAD) crew injury criteria for accelerative events and the enhanced injury assessment reference values (e-IARVs) for the 5th percentile female, 50th percentile male, and 95th percentile male determined from existing biomedical literature by the Occupant Centric Platform (OCP) Technology Enabled Capability Demonstration (TECD) program's Enhanced Injury Assessment Reference Value Working Group as a pass/fail threshold. An evaluation of the data allowed the assessment of commercially available and prototype seats to understand the performance of the seats with varying occupant weights and to evaluate the test methodology and occupant injury assessment performance criteria. The results from this data review afforded a better understanding of how seat design affects performance with varying occupant size, including weight and stature. The analysis also provided the TARDEC Seat Team with an overview of general trends and lessons learned. |