Development of a Standard for the Health Hazard Assessment of Mechanical Shock and Repeated Impact in Army Vehicles Phase 5.

Abstract

This study describes a health hazard assessment (HHA) method for evaluating exposures to repeated mechanical shocks in tactical ground vehicles (TGVs). This method will predict the risk of injury to the crew of a TGV given its seat acceleration signature. The HHA will identify both acute and chronic health risks resulting from either a few large amplitude shocks, or from prolonged exposure to travel over rough terrain. The HHA is based on experimental data obtained from volunteers exposed to a range of repeated shock exposures. The HHA consists of four components: dynamic response models which predict seat-to-spine transmission of acceleration; a biomechanical model which computes the compressive force in the lumbar spine in response to acceleration; a dose model for exposure to repeated shocks based on material fatigue characteristics; and an injury risk model based on the probability of failure. The output of the HHA method is used to determine the appropriate risk assessment code (RAC) as defined in the U.S. Army Health Hazard Assessment protocol. A software version of the HHA method with a graphical user interface (GUl) has been developed in %TLA3. The components of the HHA are outlined and some test results are presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA339002

Entities

People

  • Daniel P. Robinson
  • George Roddan
  • James Morrison
  • Jordan Nicol
  • Marguerite Springer

Organizations

  • United States Army Aeromedical Research Lab

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bone Fractures
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Programming
  • Computers
  • Engineers
  • Health Services
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Human Systems Integration
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neural Networks
  • Orthopedics
  • Pain
  • Resonant Frequency
  • Skeletal Muscle
  • Spine

Readers

  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Medicine.