CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT FOR AN AIRBAG CRASH-PROTECTION SYSTEM

THE LATEST U.S. ARMY PRODUCTION HELICOPTERS INCLUDE CREWSEATS WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF SPINAL INJURY DUE TO VERTICAL IMPACT FORCES. HOWEVER, THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE UPPER TORSO AND HEAD DUE TO SECONDARY IMPACTS IS STILL UNACCEPTABLY HIGH. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS IS THAT THE STANDARD FIVE-POINT RESTRAINT SYSTEM IS NOT DESIGNED TO RESTRAIN LATERAL MOTION, AND IMPACTS WITH HIGH VERTICAL LOADS RESULT IN COMPRESSION OF THE UPPER TORSO AND EXTENSIVE HEAD AND TORSO MOTION WITHIN THE RESTRAINT. NEWER AIRCRAFT, SUCH AS LHX, WILL INCREASE THIS HAZARD BY REDUCING THE COCKPIT VOLUME, BRINGING EVEN MORE ITEMS WITHIN THE STRIKE ENVELOPE OF THE SEATED OCCUPANT, AND BY INCREASING SPEED AND MANUEVERABILITY, RESULTING IN CRASH IMPACTS WITH HIGHER ENERGY AND A WIDE VARIANCE OF AIRCRAFT ATTITUDES. A PROGRAM TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INSTALLING AIRBAGS INTO A HELICOPTER COCKPIT TO REDUCE THE SECONDARY IMPACT HAZARDS IS OUTLINED. THE FOUR-TASK RESEARCH EFFORT INCLUDES AN EVALUATION OF INJURY PATTERNS, COMPUTER MODELING OF BODY KINEMATICS, DEVELOPMENT OF PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF AN AIRBAG SYSTEM. THE LAST TASK, DEVELOPING CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS, IS A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THE PHASE I EFFORT AND WILL DRAW HEAVILY FROM STATE-OF-THE-ART AUTOMOTIVE AIRBAG TECHNOLOGY.