A Study of the Factors Influencing the Rough Water Effectiveness of Personal Flotation Devices
Abstract
This report presents a study of the factors influencing the performance of personal flotation devices (Life jackets) in waves and development of methods for performing quantitative rough water experiments. This research was sponsored by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) as part of a long range scientific approach to developing personal flotation device (PFD) performance standards which insure adequate rough water flotation for the general population. Presented are results of a literature survey and background study of related research. From this study a list of significant factors are identified and organized into an overall problem definition. Experiments using a 50th percentile male anthropomorphic flotation dummy were conducted to obtain basic flotation data for comparison between several PFD's, and information on the range of PFD natural frequencies required for the design of future rough water experiments. The effects of PFD types, body weight, clothes, and joint flexibility on the natural heave periods and damping characteristics are presented, along with a limited comparison using two human test subjects. A significant finding in these tests is that the natural frequencies of all PFD's tested were within the range of waves that can be generated in a laboratory wave tank. Also, these frequencies correspond to waves generally seen in bays, lakes, large rivers; i.e. places where a heavy concentration of recreational boating activity occurs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA198527
Entities
People
- Christopher J. Hart