AN IMPROVED UPPER TORSO HAULBACK AND INERTIA REEL SYSTEM FOR EJECTION SEATS

UPPER TORSO HAULBACK MUST BE COMPLETED RAPIDLY TO ASSURE TIMELY EJECTION UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS YET THE HAULBACK MOTION SHOULD NOT INJURE THE PILOT. DESIGN OF A HAULBACK SYSTEM SHOULD INCLUDE CONSIDERATION OF THE BIODYNAMICS OF THE HUMAN BODY AND ASSOCIATED RESTRAINT HARNESS, THE KINEMATICS OF THE HAULBACK DEVICE, AND THE THERMODYNAMICS OF THE GAS GENERATOR. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM CONSISTS OF BIODYNAMIC AND KINEMATIC ANALYSIS BY A LEADING EXPERT IN HAULBACK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THERMODYNAMIC CONSULTING FROM THE NAVAL ORDNANCE STATION, AND MECHANICAL DESIGN BY FROST ENGINEERING TO CREATE AN OPTIMIZED HAULBACK SYSTEM BASED UPON RECENT ADVANCES IN RESTRAINT HARNESS IN COMBINATION WITH THE HUMAN BODY. THE RESULT WILL BE (1) A METHOD FOR DESIGNING UPPER TORSO HAULBACK SYSTEMS IN THE FUTURE, AND (2) A SYSTEM DESIGN APPLICABLE TO AN ADVANCED FIGHTER AIRCRAFT EJECTION SEAT. THE DESIGN WILL CONSIST OF LAYOUTS, DRAWINGS, AND SKETCHES BASED UPON THE VARIOUS ANALYSES. HARDWARE FABRICATION AND TEST WOULD OCCUR IN A PHASE II PROGRAM.