Coast Guard Approach to Develop Improved Personal Flotation Devices

摘要

The U.S. Coast Guard has been sponsoring personal flotation device (PFD) related research since the early 1970s. These studies have generally been limited to static calm water flotation evaluations. The U.S. Coast Guard approval process requires a human subject to enter calm water wearing a candidate PFD. The subject simulates unconsciousness and the PFD is evaluated for flotation and righting ability. The calm water method of testing has been a safe and repeatable method for determining the gross in water characteristics of an attached PFD. However, calm water testing practices can not address the effects of wave action on life jackets, the optimum angle of repose and head angle relative to a wave front, the number of mouth immersions, and buoyancy requirements in waves. In response to the need to beaer understand these dynamic effeas, an adaptation of the Air Force Articulated Total Body (ATB) is being developed to simulate human behavior in waves. To support the development of this capability, a sophisticated instrumented flotation manikin is being constructed that will serve as a full scale validation tool for the modifted ATB simulator and general research tool for Coast Guard survival system studies. This paper will provide an overview of the Coast Guard's rough water performance of PFDs research program and detailed description of the instrumented manikin under construction.