FEASIBILITY STUDY: LATERAL IMPACT WITH STANDARD AIRCRAFT HARNESS CONFIGURATION

A series of 11 impact tests using the Daisy Decelerator was accomplished to evaluate the adequacy of restraint from lateral impact forces of up to 14 sled G using as minimal restraint, standard aircraft harness and a non-contoured seat. Standard harness would offer greater range of movement to the restrained subject than would be offered by a more complex harness previously proposed and tested for Project Apollo. Results of these 11 tests demonstrated adequacy of restraint with the standard harness at tested impact profiles. It was also observed that when the torso was not laterally supported a shallow, 5.08 cm (2-inch) deep head support was adequate at sled G less than 10 G, above 10 sled G this shallow head support was preferred to a deeper, 17.8 cm (7-inch) head support so that at impact the subject's head can rise out and over the shallow support thereby minimizing the shearing force between the head and laterally moving torso. It was also observed that amplification of G from seat to subject was about the same for both harnesses even though input force was greater in the series using standard harness. This observation suggested greater absorption of impact force by torso movement and strap stretch with standard harness than almost entire force absorption by the rigidly restrained body with more complex harness. (Author)