REDUCTION OF LUMBAR LOADING AND PELVIC ACCELERATION IN THE TH-57 USING CUSHIONING MATERIAL

This paper presents the results of the dynamic and environmental test series conducted on seat inserts for the TH-57 aircraft, which would be used to lower lumbar loads and reduce pelvic accelerations during a crash. The inserts were tested at the environmental lab, the materials lab and the Horizontal Accelerator Facility at NAVAIR Patuxent River, Maryland. The purpose of the testing was to determine if placing an insert between the seat pan and the seat cushion would give additional energy attenuation to the occupant. This test series was also used to determine what type of material would give the best energy attenuation for the system. The tests were conducted during the month of June, 2002. One heat soak test, three types of spill testing, and three crash tests were conducted for this test series. Viscoelastic foam was chosen as the material for use in the seat insert for increasing the crashworthiness of the TH-57 helicopter.