A Test Methodology for Assessing Demining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Abstract
To reduce human casualties associated with demining, a wide range of protective wear has been designed to shield against accidental detonation of antipersonnel (AP) landmines. Injury protection offered by personal protective equipment (PPE) may include, but is not limited to, head/face protection and thorax protection that may offer the potential for substantial defense against fragments, blunt force trauma, burns, and other consequences of mine blasts. In this study, five commercially available PPEs were evaluated. These suits represent a wide range of materials and armor masses. In addition, the PPEs offer varied areas of head, neck, thorax and extremity coverage. This study utilized the Hybrid III dummy, all instrumented biofidelic surrogate that is anthropometrically similar to the human body. The primary dummy was a 50th percentile male, anthropometncally scaled to the average North American adult male. Tests were conducted with both an unprotected dummy and a dummy clothed with one of the five commercially available PPEs. Based on recorded dummy values, injury risk assessments were made using human or animal injury models. The PPEs were evaluated against two levels of simulated mines containing 100 g and 200 g of C-4 explosive against a widely fielded antipersonnel mine, the PMN containing 240 g of TNT. The test matrix consisted of 102 tests to confirm repeatability and robustness of the dummies, as well as to evaluate the five PPEs, two size dummies, and two positions (kneeling and prone).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA458677
Entities
People
- Brian Boggess
- Cameron Bass
- Charles Chichester
- Ellory Sanderson
- Gin Di Marco
- Martin Davis
Organizations
- United States Army Communications-Electronics Command