SBIR Phase I Proposal for developing improved mine blast protection bench seats using intelligent energy attenuation system that adjusts response to occupant weight and severity of blast. Injury prediction and human damage models that enable improve mine blast energy attenuating seat design. Mine blast acceleration pulse characteristics of magnitude, duration and onset rate are analyzed and compared to injury tolerance limits for spine and pelvis and cross-checked to actual injury data to determine the effects of asymmetric floor and leg loading. Improve finite element damage model for pelvis and spine exposed to large magnitude mine blast accelerations for more accurate injury prediction and to revise current mine blast tolerance specifications for seats. Recommendations for pelvis force, moment, flexion, strain data collection during dynamic testing.
