As the focus on survivability, injury prevention, armor design, and human centric design increases, more attention must be paid to human modeling, especially with regards to the head and neck, not only for protection against ballistics and impact, but also for biomechanical issues as a result of normal operating conditions. There is a distinct need for an accurate, easy-to-use, modeling and simulation tool that helps design appropriate head gear, including helmet attachments such as night vision equipment and other sensors. Through a balance of advanced research and customer-driven product development, Viz-Tek and the University of Iowa have developed the fundamental capabilities necessary for building a state-of-the-art head-and-neck simulation tool. This tool will provide an intuitive simulation environment, capable of evaluating biomechanical forces on the neck vertebrae, and determining consequent stresses and displacements of the neck muscles. Such a tool can be used to help design equipment through the conduct of tradeoff analysis. When completed, it will provide product designers and analysts with an effective environment for evaluating new designs, modifying existing designs, and analyzing loads placed on the helmet, fit and comfort, protection coverage, and compatibility with other armor configurations in terms of collisions and interference.
Benefit: The development of a modeling and simulation environment that is capable of accurately assessing human safety with headborne equipment during the conduct of a variety of physical activities holds vast commercial potential for both military and industrial customers. In the past year alone, several DoD agencies have acknowledged the need for such a tool. In a FY 2008 solicitation, the Defense Related Medical Research Program (DRMRP) identified a gap in the availability of biomedically valid computational models of blast- and impact-related injuries that can be used to design, build, and test personal protection systems (such as combat helmets and body armor) and combat vehicle protection systems (such as blast-attenuating seats). The DRMRP expressed the high level requirements for this capability as: Modeling of blast-related injuries, including all types of extremity, head and face, and spine injuries. Modeling of blast-related injury mechanisms, including blunt force impact, blast overpressure, acceleration, force transference, and combinations of two or more of these mechanisms. Computational models must be biomechanically or physiologically based, and developed from a thorough understanding of the tissue-level injury mechanisms. Similarly, the Joint Aircraft Survivability Program Office (JASPO) is currently seeking technologies that can aid in improving the design of survivability technology. The mission of JASPO is to ensure joint, coordinated development of survivability technology, methodology, and design tools necessary to provide the Warfighter with survivable, combat effective aerospace systems. Our team has also had recent discussions with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC/AD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Safety and Assurance Requirements Division, and Code 34 (Warfighter Performance Department) of the Office of Naval Research centered on the feasibility and application of this technology. Our discussions with our current and potential future commercial research partners, including Caterpillar, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, SAIC, Honeywell, and Rockwell Collins among others confirms the vast interest in and potential of this technology.
Keywords: helmet, helmet, Predictive, Validation, Simulation, neck load, biomechanics, headwear, Modeling
