N112-143 TITLE: Development of an Articulating Thermal Sensing Manikin System to Predict Burn Injury in a Flame-filled Environment

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Human Systems

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)/Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM)

OBJECTIVE: To develop an articulating, thermal sensing full body manikin and associated variable speed traversing system for use in a full scale flame/thermal chamber. The resulting manikin system will be used to test personal protective ensembles under a wide array of flash fire scenarios producing burn injury prediction data and ultimately lead to enhanced protective garments for shipboard use and beyond. The manikin shall include the current complement of 123 sensors positioned throughout the body plus additional sensors to allow data collection from the head, hands, fingers and feet.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility possesses a rigid manikin and a unique full scale fire testing chamber capable of replicating flame and thermal threats common to confined spaces such as compartment fires found aboard ship. However, recent information suggests that clothing protection is not fully characterized using existing rigid stationary manikins since stresses imparted to the fabric resulting from body movements (e.g. at the knees, elbows or across the back) are not captured and therefore offer an incomplete picture of protection to the body. Even with the best protective garments these stresses combined with a flame/thermal challenge contribute to fabric "break open", exposing the skin and resulting in significant burn injury. By leveraging advancements in robotic technology we seek to develop a light weight, smoothly operating articulated manikin, capable of simulating sitting, standing, walking, jogging and running motions to simulate those stresses while withstanding repeated exposures (approximately 500 uses; each lasting for approximately 25 seconds, with a 30 minute reset time between uses) to high heat scenarios up to 3 cal/cm2/sec (126kw/m2) heat flux for up to 20 seconds. The resulting manikin shall have the ability to manually position the fingers and thumbs to facilitate the donning and doffing of gloves and to also incorporate data collection devices into both the palm and back of the hand, plus each finger. It is desired to have the hands, feet and head removable to facilitate donning and doffing of garments without having to cut and compromise garments. The manikin shall also possess a totally free range of motion in the arms and legs to facilitate donning and doffing of clothing. The resulting prototype manikin shall utilize commercially available components to the fullest extent. The prototype shall replicate a full sized human, with a target size of 40 medium regular. The articulated mechanism shall be capable of repeated removal and installation (if necessary) without failure to the manikin or the mechanism. Internal articulating mechanisms shall not interfere with other components such as thermal sensors, thermocouples and associated connections. The completed prototype manikin shall be designed to minimize weight with a target weight of not to exceed 75 pounds and to facilitate rapid donning and doffing of garments without compromising the durability of the manikin or its components, and shall include a power cable (if necessary) capable of repeated use in the same operating conditions as the manikin. The completed manikin shall be designed with remote data acquisition capabilities and with remote on/off switch capability.

Potential approaches for articulating the manikin and conveying it through the chamber could include the use of pneumatic, hydraulic, cabled, geared, belt driven concepts, but other creative solutions shall be explored to achieve the goals of the project. Alternative concepts are encouraged which would optimally result in a free standing untethered manikin so as not to be encumbered by the existing traversing system and data collection cabling.

PHASE I: Conceptualize multiple design approaches and establish a hierarchy of considerations balanced against technological limitations. The two best candidate solutions will be selected from the analysis. Best candidate concepts will be fabricated into a pre-prototype demonstration model and/or demonstrated via comprehensive computer aided design modeling taking all requirements into account. Design limitations shall be identified and sound engineering solutions presented for incorporation into the best candidate leading to Phase II development.

PHASE II: Based upon the success demonstrated in Phase I, a fully functioning articulated manikin system capable of data collection in the operating environment shall be manufactured and delivered. The developer will support the testing and evaluation of the manikin�s ability to replicate human motion and to repeatedly collect accurate data without evidence of degradation to the manikin, components or its mechanism. Deliverables will include the manikin, associated drawings, identification of all materials and components including consumable items necessary for repair or replacement, if applicable to the design.

PHASE III: A fully functioning and validated articulated manikin resulting from Phase II is expected to transform the current state of the art for the assessment of flame retardant garment systems and will ultimately impact personnel protection. During Phase III, and in conjunction with the industry partner, final testing to prove the manikin�s ability to yield high fidelity data as well as to determine the system�s equivalence to established test protocols is expected. Also, it is imperative that studies in the flame filled chamber will be conducted to validate compatibility with existing data collection hardware and software thereby assuring the proper functioning of the entire system prior to pursuing interest from an acknowledged International Standards organization.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: In addition to Naval personnel, all military users, first responders, academia and the private sector will benefit from this initiative. Given the existing threat levels worldwide, user communities as well as research and development organizations are interested in the evolution of flame retardant materials and rely upon accurate methods to quantify protection, and as a result, realistic methodologies to characterize protection at the system level such as this are highly desired.

REFERENCES:
1. ASTM F1930 Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Flame Resistance Clothing for Protection against Flash Fire Simulations Using an Instrumented Manikin, Volume 11.03 ASTM

2. Development of an Instrumented Thermal Manikin Head for Characterizing the Thermal Protective Performance of Military Head Gear in Fire Environments, Final Report to the US ARMY Soldier Systems Center(Natick) Contract W911QY-08-C-0105 Submitted by Center for Research on Textile Protection & Comfort College of Textiles North Carolina State University, December 2009.

KEYWORDS: Articulating manikin; instrumented manikin; traversing manikin; flash fire testing; burn injury predictions; personal protection ensemble

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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