Vertical Force Crash Protection for HMMWV Occupants

Historically, more fatalities and serious injuries occur from Army ground vehicle mishaps than from combat operations. Training, contingency, and combat operating tempo makes a significant number of vehicular mishaps with fatalities and serious injuries inevitable. Effective occupant crash protection, absent in Army tactical vehicles, would reduce this toll. Operations introduce significant hazards not seen in civilan use: vertical forces from land mine blasts, roll overs and downs. tered in conventional automotive design. ARCCA can develop cost-effective seating and restraint systems that mitigate vertical hazards and are compatible with, and may even enhance, protection from frontal crashes. Our approach mirrors the Army's risk management. We will review selected Army mishaps to collect and analyze data. Using computer simulation and limited physical testing, we will analyze cost-effective ways to minimize the hazards. Applying our knowledge of aviation and emerging civilian automobile technology, we will explore feasible means of injury reduction that is compatible with the vehicle and its mission. We will establish requirements for solutions and analyze their feasibility. This will result in a requirements statement, proof of concept/prototype for in-depth analysis and testing in Phase II, and a testing methodology. BENEFITS: The results of our HMMWV research and development effort will apply to the entire Army vehicle fleet, new development, and the fast growing civilian and government off road sport utility fleets. The anticipated benefits are a substantial reduction in serious injuries and death from vertical force induced hazards, using solutions that can easily and cost-effectively retrofit into existing vehicles and designed into new vehicles.