Assessment of Aircrew Head Injury Protection after Helmet Liner Modification

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Assessment of Aircrew Head Injury Protection after Helmet Liner Modification

S. N. Sous / G. A. Ganz / K. P. Logsdon / F. T. Brozoski

U.S. Army aviators experiencing difficulty attaining a comfortable helmet fit are referred to the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory's Problem Fit (PROFIT) program. USAARL PROFIT personnel make modifications to the comfort liner to accommodate atypical head anthropometry to achieve a more user-specific fit. Effects of these modifications on blunt impact performance of the HGU-56/P Aircrew Integrated Helmet System (AIHS) and head injury protection are unknown. It is important for these effects to be quantified and the risks associated with modifications to be understood by USAARL PROFIT personnel, the aviator, and aviation leadership. Through a USAARL PROFIT records audit, two approved comfort liners were selected for modification in the HGU-56/P AIHS: Super Comfort Liner (SCL) and Thermal Plastic Liner (TPL). In order to evaluate a worst-case scenario modification the two inner-most layers of thermoplastic material were removed from each lines were tested according to HGU-56/P AIHS Purchase Description (DoD, 1996) using a monorail drop tower (ANSI, 1966).