My colleages Gale Zielinkski and Frank Huston from the U.S. Army TARDEC presented some of our joint work at the annual Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS) in Novi, MI, this month. We have been collaborating for several years on the development of new methods and models for laying out and evaluating military vehicle interiors. The work is based on outcomes from the Seated Soldier Study, our landmark project to gather and analyze data on soldier postures in ground vehicle seats as drivers and squad. The 2016 GVSETS presentation was focused on the development of a CAD implementation of our suite of driver accomodation models for the fixed-heel-point scenarios typical of truck-like vehicles. The image at the right shows the graphical rendering of the models in the Creo parametric CAD system. Based on steering wheel location and the distribution of driver body dimensions, the models generate clearance contours for the head (with helmet), knees, and torso (with body armor and gear). A seat adjustment envelope is generated for a target accommodation level, and an eyellipse graphically illustrates the expected distribution of driver eye locations, which is useful for conducting analysis of driver vision to external and internal targets.
January 2014
Occupant Accommodation in Military Vehicles
