Shock-absorbing design of a seat of a military vehicle subject to blast load (Proposal of hook-spring mechanism)

Abstract

Armored fighting vehicles with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) designed to counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have recently attracted special interest. This paper describes dynamic response of the shock absorption seat to blast load. Mathematical models have been developed to predict the effects of the blast load on the seat-passenger system. We propose a hook-spring mechanism which consists of two springs (a hook-spring and a cushion spring). The hook spring (stiffer spring) supports the seat and the human passenger under normal operation. When the seat and passenger receive the blast force, they lose contact with the spring. After that, the cushion spring (softer spring) supports them. The influence of the hook-spring mechanism seat on blast load is confirmed by numerical simulations and experiments.