Evaluation of the Effects of Variable Helmet Weight on Human Response During Lateral Gy Impact

Helmet-mounted systems (HMS) are designed to enhance pilot performance, but may also affect pilot safety by increasing the potential for neck injury during ejection due to the change in helmet inertial properties. A series of tests was conducted by AFRL/HEPA on a horizontal impulse accelerator using human subjects to investigate the effects of helmet inertial properties on human response to short duration sideward impacts of variable magnitude. The effects of headrest contour and gender were also investigated. Maximum neck load values obtained in this study will be used to establish head/neck injury criteria for helmet-mounted systems and for the implementation of improvements in bracing techniques to minimize pilot injury during ejections.Air Force Research Lab Wright-Patterson AFB OH Human Effectiveness Directorate is the author of 'Evaluation of the Effects of Variable Helmet Weight on Human Response During Lateral Gy Impact' with ISBN 9781423515814 and ISBN 1423515811.