Development of an Improved Aviator Restraint System Locking Device

The objective of the proposed work is to conveive restraint locking devices capable of locking aviator torso restraints with less than 2.5 cm of webbing travel. Existing aviator torso restraints depend on sensing webbing acceleration that has reached a critical threshold. However webbing motion is precisely what the inertia reel is intended to prevent. This work will explore new ways to physically lock the restraint, and will explore alternate tehcnologies for sensing the need to lock the restraint and for triggering the lockig device. The Phase I effort will define all the functional requirements of the restraint systems and then develop a locking system which satisfies all of these functions and improves restraint performance in a crash. From several concepts for performing each function, three locking system concepts will be proposed for development in Phase II. At least one test method will be suggested for each system concept.