Development of a Standard for the Health Hazard Assessment of Mechanical Shock and Repeated Impact in Army Vehicles Phase 5

This study describes a health hazard assessment (HHA) method for evaluating exposures to repeated mechanical shocks in tactical ground vehicles (TGVs). This method will predict the risk of injury to the crew of a TGV given its seat acceleration signature. The HHA will identify both acute and chronic health risks resulting from either a few large amplitude shocks, or from prolonged exposure to travel over rough terrain. The HHA is based on experimental data obtained from volunteers exposed to a range of repeated shock exposures. The HHA consists of four components: dynamic response models which predict seat-to-spine transmission of acceleration; a biomechanical model which computes the compressive force in the lumbar spine in response to acceleration; a dose model for exposure to repeated shocks based on material fatigue characteristics; and an injury risk model based on the probability of failure. The output of the HHA method is used to determine the appropriate risk assessment code (RAC) as defined in the U.S. Army Health Hazard Assessment protocol. A software version of the HHA method with a graphical user interface (GUl) has been developed in %TLA3. The components of the HHA are outlined and some test results are presented.Army Aeromedical Research Lab Fort Rucker Al is the author of 'Development of a Standard for the Health Hazard Assessment of Mechanical Shock and Repeated Impact in Army Vehicles Phase 5', published 1998 under ISBN 9781423565635 and ISBN 1423565630.