Relationship of Protective Mask Seal Pressure to Fit Factor and Head Harness Strap Stretch

Abstract

Currently, protective mask seals are evaluated indirectly by measuring fit factor (FF), a ratio of the concentration of particles outside versus the concentration of particles inside the mask. This report describes an alternate process for evaluating mask seals by measuring seal pressure distribution. The goal was to develop a relationship between FF and seal pressure for evaluating seal performance, and relationships between FF and strap stretch and between seal pressure and strap stretch for determining proper strap adjustment. Pressure was measured using a thin film flexible sensor placed at 11 locations around the seal of an M40 mask on a headform. Corresponding FF was measured using a protective mask fit tester. Stretch in each of the six head harness straps was measured manually using a caliper and gauge length markers on the strap. Measurements were made for three degrees of strap tightness over a total of 22 trials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA370293

Entities

People

  • Kathryn S. Cohen

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Air Force
  • Army Personnel
  • Bioengineering
  • Biological Factors
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Data Analysis
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Research
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Regression Analysis
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Materials Science