ARMY AL&T
The ECH was expected to provide 35 percent greater fragmentation protec- tion than the ACH, but testing showed the improvement to be 50 percent or more, Morneault said. In fact, stronger test guns will be needed to figure out exactly how good the fragmentation protection is. The ECH also provides increased ballistic protection against select small-arms threats.
The improved protection stems from a new material, an ultra high molecu- lar weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber composite. UHMWPE is a class of advanced thermoplastic materials that require different manufacturing processes than those associated with the thermosetting resin-impregnated para- aramid fibers used in the ACH.
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) found that some of the technol- ogies that it was developing for other applications had potential use in helmet technology to protect Soldiers from the combat threats in Iraq and Afghanistan. ARL scientists and engineers also pio- neered a molding process to pre-form the thermoplastic material, combining layers of the material into lightweight helmet shells. This new methodol- ogy, in turn, has transformed the U.S. industrial base for the manufacture of ballistic helmet material.
The Army is working with numerous partners, including the Marine Corps and industry, on the future-generation helmet for mounted and dismounted Soldiers. The system takes a “holistic approach” to protecting the head, face, and neck, said Donald R. Lee II of the Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) at the Head Protection Summit. NSRDEC is managing the initiative, a four-year effort through FY13.
The Helmet and Electronics and Display System-Upgradeable Protection (HEaDS-UP) Army Technology Objective incorporates ballistic and
30 APRIL –JUNE 2011
The Helmet Sensor Program provides small, lightweight, low-power sensors that mount to Soldiers’ combat helmets. The sensors detect, measure, and record impact and blast overpressure associated with IEDs and other events that may cause concussions in an operational environment. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of PEO Soldier.)
nonballistic protection with greater fragmentation protection for the lower face, situational awareness, interoper- ability with night vision equipment, and improved hearing
protection.The objective is a well-balanced, modular system that reduces neck fatigue and increases mission performance and situ- ational awareness in all environmental conditions without sacrificing mobility, agility, or weapon compatibility.
Ultimately, HEaDS-UP will yield a package of design options and guide- lines based on manufacturing best practices, lessons learned, and mature technology, Lee said.
Gathering Data in Theater Another element of combat helmet development—the helmet-mounted sensor program—is also undergoing improvements, even as the medical community evaluates the potential and limitations of its early results.
The Generation II Helmet Sensor, to be fielded in August, features upgrades
in power management, storage capacity, and data exchange compared with the first-generation sensor, almost 7,000 of which were mounted on helmets in Iraq and Afghanistan to collect data from March 2008 to March 2009.
The sensors measure and record impact and blast overpressure associated with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other blast incidents, as well as impact events, that may cause head trauma in combat operations.
The helmet sensor “is not a field diagnostic tool, as some people assume,” Morneault cautioned. “It’s a data-gathering device for the medical community.” The data collected can be used “to better understand what’s going on in IEDs and different blasts and blunt impact trauma we’re seeing downrange.”
While the information gathered has the potential to improve the prevention and mitigation of TBI, the data collected from the first deployment of helmet sen- sors has unexpected limitations, Gilman
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