Effects of Different Body Armor Configurations on Body Heat Loss During Exposure to Extreme Cold Environments Using the Finite Element Method

Abstract

One-dimensional models containing a combination of human skin, clothing, body armor, and a cold-weather environment were created in COMSOL Multiphysics (Burlington, MA) software. The models created were then used to conduct heat transfer simulations using finite element analysis. The goal of this project was to determine the magnitude that the composite material of the ballistic protection plates within body armor insulate the Soldier or exacerbate heat loss in cold-weather environments. Three different models were created: (1) a skin and clothing system, M1; (2) a skin, clothing, and body armor system without the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert (ESAPI) plates, M2; and (3) a skin, clothing, and body armor system including the ESAPI plates, M3. It was assumed that the temperature of the skin (Ts) was 31C and that the air temperature was between 0 and -50C. Heat transfer properties for the skin were obtained through COMSOL Multiphysics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 15, 2019
Accession Number
AD1072848

Entities

People

  • Adam W Potter
  • Julio A. Gonzalez
  • Michael P. Castellani
  • Timothy P. Rioux
  • Xiaojiang Xu

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aramid Fibers
  • Armor
  • Body Armor
  • Climate Change
  • Clothing
  • Composite Materials
  • Department Of Defense
  • Differential Equations
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Flux
  • Heat Loss
  • Heat Transfer
  • Materials
  • Specific Heat
  • Steady State
  • Thermal Conductivity

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Materials Science

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems