Test methods for protective footwear against AP mine blast
conference paper
The testing and development of protective footwear for anti-personnel landmine blast threats is of great importance to civilian and military deminers, and peacekeepers. This study will review the wide range of test methods that have been developed by NATO countries to test footwear against the effects of anti-personnel blast mines. Experimental testing requires the definition of a threat and a means of assessing the expected trauma to the human leg. The latter is accomplished with various physical models to represent the human leg. These models include simple metal columns, mechanical legs, frangible legs and biological specimens. Each model has advantages and disadvantages, and the choice must be guided by the scope and purpose of a given test series. In some cases, it is necessary to use a frangible model, but there are many cases where using a non-frangible model may be more appropriate. In addition to the physical test methods, computer modeling is providing a powerful tool to analyse and interpret test results. Advances have been made recently with respect to numerical code applications and some applications will be presented. This paper is one of four related multi-national papers, presented by the members of the NATO HFM-089/TG-024, to address all aspects of the TG-024 mandate related to the testing of protective footwear against the effect of AP blast mines.
TNO Identifier
527898
Source title
Equipment for Personal Protection (AVT-097) / Personal Protection: Bio-Mechanical Issues and Associated Physio-Pathological Risks (HFM-102). RTO Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT) / Human Factors and Medicine Panel (HFM) Joint Specialists' Meeting, Koblenz, Germany, 19-23 May 2003
Collation
12 p.