Air Armour
Future Soldier Protection in collaboration with Avon Protection (Registered Design)
Future Soldier Protection in collaboration with Avon Protection (Registered Design)
Air Armour integrates ballistic, blast, blunt trauma and respiratory protection into a single product which provides comfortable protection to soldiers. Design development has been completed with end users and the final design incorporates a supply of cool blown air over the users face to reduce heat fatigue associated with other protective equipment. The lightweight shell, made from composite materials also helps to deflect the blast wave of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) to prevent traumatic brain injury. A flexible rubber skin, inspired by nature, also helps to absorb shock from blasts and blunt trauma.
It has been shown than 1 in 5 veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq have developed some form of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from repeated exposure to IED explosions (US DoD, 2011). Ongoing medical research suggests that a face-shield may be able to deflect blast waves away from a users face, preventing them from entering the brain.
A variety of concepts were generated based around the principle of a face-shield which attaches to an existing military helmet. The selected concept was a modular unit that included respiratory, blast and ballistic protection into a lightweight and comfortable face-shield.
Respiratory protection against Toxic and Industrial Chemicals (TICs) was developed, prototyped and tested. This function had the secondary benefit of providing a cooling supply of air over the users face.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling was used to asses the response of different composite materials and different shapes of face-shield to an IED blast.
The protective functionality of the product was then developed in order to make the entire product acceptable and comfortable for military end users to wear.
The final design of Air Armour has been assessed by experts in the field and end users. The IPR has been transferred to Avon Protection. Registered Design. Patents Pending.
