Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group

By peter Bu x B a u m
soteCH Co r r e s p o n D e n t
B u x B a u m p@k m i m e D i a g r o u p.C o m
seats—a n D tHen B o a t H u l l s—to C u s H i o n,
C u r B i n j u r y-C a u s i n g s H o C k s.
United States Navy special operations
personnel perform many of their missions
on smaller water craft. These vessels—and
the personnel inside them—can take quite a
pounding, especially in severe sea states.
Repeated exposure to wave shocks and
to the forces of the ocean can impair performance,
produce discomfort, and cause acute
and chronic injuries. That is why the Naval
Special Warfare Command tests smaller boats
for their ability to absorb shocks and protect
the crew.
In the past, naval personnel often preferred
standing to sitting while operating their
vessels, believing that they could use their
legs from a standing position to absorb
impacts. While there is some truth to that
belief, special operations personnel are often
exposed to forces that cannot be handled
12 | SOTECH 8.9
merely by standing or bending the legs.
Much of the activity surrounding shock mitigation
involves equipping combatant craft
with seats that cushion the blows to which
crews are subjected.
In one case, the seats in an entire fleet
of small boats were replaced with seats
equipped with shock mitigation technologies.
These special seats contain their own suspension
systems, in the form of shock absorbers
that smooth the ride for naval special warfighters.
The command keeps on eye on such
technologies that can improve the safety of
crew members.
“Combatant craft crewmen work in an
environment dictated by the mission, not
at the convenience of sea-state conditions,”
said Bruce Holmes, a science and technology
adviser at Naval Special Warfare Command.
“Boat-related musculoskeletal injuries occur
as a result of the environment in which
the crew and passengers are required to
operate. The purpose of the seat is to shield
the operator from the high shock environment
generated by the sea-state and
craft speed.”
Techno-Sciences Inc. (TSI), in collaboration
with Lord Corp., has developed what
the companies term a reliable, revolutionary
shock absorber system using magnetorheological
(MR) fluid technology for seated
occupants aboard high-speed watercraft, in
a cost-effective package providing optimal
shock and vibration protection.
Traditional seats using passive shock
absorbers in these vessels provide limited
benefit to the warfighter because they
can only be optimized for one occupant
www.SOTECH-kmi.com