Lower Extremity Protective Armor for Ground Troops
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Summary • Topic: Identifying Customer Needs • Synopsis: The case study focuses on customer requirements for lower extremity protective armor for ground troops. A brief exercise involving concealable body armor for law enforcement officers is also included. 1 Identifying Customer Needs Case Study: Lower Extremity Protective Armor for Ground Troops 2 Battlefield Extremity Injuries • Battlefield extremity injuries account for the majority of combat wounds sustained by US armed forces during military conflicts of the twentieth century. • Overall, more than 65% of the wounded survivors from World War II and the Korean War sustained extremity injuries. • Despite the changing nature of warfare, the prevalence of extremity injuries during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was comparable to previous US military conflicts. 3 Battlefield Extremity Injuries • The emerging and widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) resulted in new injury patterns amongst combat casualties during OIF compared with previous conflicts. • In combat, lower extremity injuries are generally more common than upper extremity injuries. • Although extremity wounds are less likely to be fatal than head, chest, or abdominal wounds, these injuries can be severely disabling. 4 Battlefield Extremity Injuries • The high prevalence and severity of extremity injuries observed during the conflict in Iraq stressed the significance of proper and immediate orthopedic care for soldiers in combat zones as well as the need to explore options for extremity protection. 5 Battlefield Extremity Injuries – IEDs http://i.usatoday.net/news/_photos/2011/09/19/Injuries- http://a.abcnews.com/images/Nightline/ht_jonny_joseph_jones_l https://15128-presscdn-0-60- cost-more-troops-their-limbs-GMD8BAS-x-large.jpg egs_jp_110701_wmain.jpg pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp- content/uploads/2011/08/Ryan4.jpg.opti mal.jpg 6 Protective Armor • Arm and leg armor in the form of gauntlets for the arms and greaves for the lower legs has been used for thousands of years to protect against low velocity penetrating and blunt trauma. • These were constructed from wood, leather, and bronze, culminating in the use of iron and steel by Asian and European armies in the Middle Ages. • Body armor disappeared at the end of the Renaissance when rifles and artillery were introduced to the battlefield. 7 Protective Armor • Perhaps the first practical reappearance and use of modern body armor against higher velocity fragments was the “flak jacket” issued to aircraft crews during World War II. • The use of fragment protection vests was extended to Marines and soldiers on the ground in Korea and Vietnam. • The Outer Tactical Vest (OTV) was issued in large numbers during the late 1990s, and its first widespread use in combat was in Afghanistan and Iraq. 8 Protective Armor • The OTV is made of Kevlar and it provides blast fragment protection to the upper torso. • The OTV with the addition of front and back ceramic SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) plates provides protection against small arms fire using full metal jacket ammunition. • The convergence of the IED threat, modern materials technology, and modern military medicine on the battlefield has reopened the possibility of a full body armor ensemble to protect the torso, arms, and legs of today’s warfighter. 9 Evolution of the Uniform and Equipment Used by US Soldiers National Guard Soldier, 2011 The complexity and cost of the protective armor systems used by US soldiers has increased, along with the overall protective armor performance. https://www.army.mil/article/61952/New_York_National_Guard_Compares_Contra sts_Modern_and_Civil_War_Soldiers_to_Mark_Battle_of_Bull_Run/ 10 WWII Japanese Body Armor http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/chapter11figure329.jpg http://japan.greyfalcon.us/pictures/j5.jpg 11 The Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) 12 IEDs • An IED is a bomb fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals and designed to destroy or incapacitate personnel or vehicles. • In some cases, IEDs are used to distract, disrupt, or delay an opposing force, facilitating another type of attack. • IEDs may incorporate military or commercially sourced explosives, and often combine both types, or they may otherwise be made with homemade explosives (HME). 13 IEDs • IEDs are extremely diverse in design and may contain many types of initiators, detonators, penetrators, and explosive loads. • IEDs are triggered by various methods, including remote control, infrared or magnetic triggers, pressure-sensitive bars or trip wires. • Antipersonnel IEDs typically contain fragmentation-generating objects such as nails, ball bearings or even small rocks to cause wounds at greater distances than blast pressure alone could. 14 IEDs http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/ied-2.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/IED_Baghdad_from_munitions.jpg 15 The Operating Environment of the Soldier US troops board a helicopter in Afghanistan U.S. Army soldiers fire mortar rounds at suspected Taliban fighting positions in Afghanistan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932014)#/media/File https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932014)#/media/File:Flickr :US_10th_Mountain_Division_soldiers_in_Afghanistan.jpg _-_The_U.S._Army_-_Securing_Barge_Matal.jpg 16 The Operating Environment of the Soldier US and British troops during a patrol in Afghanistan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932014)#/media/File:US- http://pulitzercenter.org/sites/pulitzercenter.org/files/styles/overlay/public/FirefoxScreen UK-Sangin2007.jpg Snapz001_5.jpg?itok=gNZ6d8f7 17 The Operating Environment of the Soldier http://65.media.tumblr.com/bd7166887428469f9c500e93b7607ebe/tumblr http://r1.officer.com/files/base/image/OFCR/2013/04/16x9/1280x720/visi- _noxeg3C38a1tslewgo1_1280.jpg pad-ir--soldier_10921320.jpg 18 The Operating Environment of the Soldier A U.S. soldier returns fire during a firefight with insurgents, Afghanistan, 2010 U.S. Army soldiers during a gun battle in Afghanistan http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Afghanistan-Troops-2.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932014)#/media/File:Fl ickr_-_DVIDSHUB_-_Firefight_in_the_Waterpur_Valley.jpg 19 The Operating Environment of the Soldier http://img.wennermedia.com/article-leads-horizontal/mj-618_348_afghanistans-most- http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/embed- lasting-legacy-the-improvised-explosive-device.jpg lg/public/2014/10/28/wounded-soldier.jpg 20 QuadGard Arm and Leg Protection Against IED’s http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a522792.pdf 21 QuadGard Arm and Leg Protection Against IED’s http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a522792.pdf 22 Integrated Dismounted Armor System (IDAS) http://www.aerodefensetech.com/images/stories/DTB/2012/BRIE FS/ARL-0143.jpg http://www.ca.all.biz/img/ca http://r3.officer.com/files/base/image/OFCR/2007/08/16x9/640x360/integrateddismo /catalog/13166.jpeg untedarmorsystemtactical_10044882.jpg 23 Lower Extremity Protective Armor Concept Proposed by a Group of Senior Mechanical Engineering Students Lower extremity protective armor concept developed by a team of SDSM&T senior students. Project advised by faculty and staff associated with the SDSM&T Experimental and Computational Mechanics Laboratory (ECML) 24 Lower Extremity Protection: Testing • The US Marine Corps and the US Army have been engaged in efforts to evaluate armor to protect the extremities. • The studies have focused on both armor performance (i.e., level of ballistic protection) and armor effects on the physical performance of the soldier (e.g., body flexibility, mobility, and agility). • The findings from a study involving different designs indicated that the use of extremity armor increases the energy consumed during walking and running, changes the biomechanics of gait, and negatively affects performance of some militarily-relevant physical tasks. 25 Lower Extremity Protection: Testing https://vimeo.com/4063747 26 Partial List of Customer Needs: Lower Extremity Protective Armor (LEPA) Category # Customer Needs Imp. K.M. 1 The LEPA reduces the number of particles that penetrate the skin 5 B 2 The LEPA is flame-resistant 5 B 3 The LEPA helps to stop bleeding 4 E Protection 4 The LEPA helps to contain the wound 3 E 5 The LEPA helps to prevent crush injury 2 E 6 The LEPA has built-in insect repellent 1 E 7 The LEPA is lightweight 5 B 8 The LEPA doesn’t hinder the mobility of the soldier 5 B 9 The LEPA integrates well with other gear that the soldiers use 5 B 10 The LEPA doesn’t slow down ingress/egress from vehicles 5 B Mobility 11 The LEPA stays in place 5 P 12 The LEPA can be removed quickly 5 P 13 The LEPA can be put on easily 3 P 14 The LEPA is not cumbersome 5 P 15 The LEPA doesn’t get caught on objects 5 P Imp. – Relative Importance Rating: 1 to 5 scale (1 is less important and 5 is most important) K.M. – Kano Model: B = Basic, P = Performance, E = Exciting 27 Partial List of Customer Needs: Lower Extremity Protective Armor (LEPA) Category # Customer Needs Imp. K.M. 16 The LEPA adjusts to different sizes of legs 5 B 17 The LEPA is comfortable 5 P Ergonomics 18 The LEPA is breathable (doesn’t trap heat) 4 P 19 The LEPA has extra straps for holding gear 1 E 20 The LEPA blends with the battle dress uniform (camouflage) 5 B ACU Related 21 The LEPA allows to attach identification markers