DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUMENTED CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL (CB) INDIVIDUAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING TO ESTABLISH FABRIC DYNAMIC PARAMETERS

OPERATION DESERT SHIELD HAS EMPHASIZED THE VERY REAL THREAT OF CHEMICAL WARFARE. CONCERN HAS RECENTLY BEEN VOICED WITHIN BOTH THE DEVELOPER AND USER COMMUNITIES THAT THE CURRENT STATIC TESTING METHODOLOGIES DO NOT ADEQUATELY PREDICT THE BEHAVIOR OF CB PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN THE DYNAMIC BATTLEFIELD ENVIRONMENT. A TESTING STANDARD (SIMILAR TO MIL-STD-810D) THAT INCORPORATES FABRIC TEST METHODOLOGIES CAPABLE OF MORE REALISTICALLY CORRELATING DEVELOPER TESTING AND USER REQUIREMENTS IS CLEARLY INDICATED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PHASE I PROGRAM IS TO DERIVE MECHANICAL FORCE PROFILES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RANGE OF FORCES LIKELY TO BE EXPERIENCED BY SOLDIERS ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES DURING WHICH CB PROTECTION WILL BE REQUIRED. THESE PROFILES, DEVELOPED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACTIVITY CATEGORIES DEFINED BY THE U.S. ARMY HUMAN ENGINEERING LABORATORY (HEL) AND ROUTINELY USED BY HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERS AT THE HEL OBSTACLE COURSE, WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENTED CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL (CB) PROTECTIVE (MOPP-IV) ENSEMBLE DURING PHASE II, WHICH WILL PERMIT THE "MAN-IN-THE-SUIT" TESTING ESSENTIAL TO THE PROMULGATION OF MORE REALISTIC FABRIC TESTING METHODOLOGIES.