The project will demonstrate the feasability of developing and producing a jacket to protect soldiers from blast overpressure in a weapons training environment. Advanced materials and fabrication technologies will be applied to attenuate pressure waves with a jacket having minimum bulk and weight. Phase I will follow a comprehensive systems apporach to showing feasability. Besides demonstrating protective capability with material sample tests, a complete jacket will be fabricated for a preliminary human factors evaluation. The jacket design will be shown to be functional, producable, and wearable. The key team members are uniquely qualified to perform the proposed research. Their collective experience included development and application of human tolerance criteria for impulse loading. development and qualification of products protecting humands in impact environments, humand factors research and development support, and production of armored vests.The proposed product will allow soldiers to train in a heavy weapons firing environment until they have sustained the necessary level of proficiency. Training will not have to be limited due to the risk of non-auditory blast over pressure injury. Other commercial applications may be found in the medical, mining, and demolation workplaces.
Keywords: Blast, Human Tolerance, Over Pressure, Shock Wave Attenuation, Lung Injury, Protective Equipment, Weapons Training, Non-Auditory Injury
