HOW SMART MATERIALS ARE CHANGING SOLDIERS’ PERSONAL PROTECTION IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING MODERN WARFARE
The changing face of modern warfare
Modern warfare has changed irrevocably. The operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have been characterised by highly agile insurgents who have promoted the urban warfare and whose weapon of first choice is often the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) very unpredictable weapons causing severe and injuries through violent impacts.
Moreover, with the focus of armies changing – from operational to contingent forces – and the great diversity of warfare environments in which they serve, the physical demands on armed forces personnel and the challenges on their equipment have become significant issues for global government defence departments.
One of the biggest equipment performance challenges is how to address the high incidence of lower limb injuries caused by load carriage. In the UK alone, over the past five years, the most common principal cause of medical discharge by armed forces personnel remains musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. The number of army personnel medically discharged with principal cause of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries has significantly increased in this time. Knee and back pain remain the two biggest causes of the musculoskeletal disorders which lead to servicemen and women being medically discharged from all three UK armed forces each.
Technology can play a significant role in helping to protect soldiers, and providing solutions to adapt personal protective equipment to meet the changing demands of modern warfare.
In meeting these demands with industry-leading solutions, technology SME are best placed to develop innovative products rapidly, enabling Government defence procurement agencies to acquire the latest advanced technology with which to equip troops.
D3O’s Trauma Reduction Unrivalled Shock Technology
D3O, a British technology innovation SME, is at the forefront of applying unique patented smart materials to engineer real-world impact protection solutions for the defence sector. D3O’s technology is based on non-Newtonian principles. Its team of chemists, materials scientists and engineers has developed a range of patented smart materials which contain a rate-sensitive dilatant fluid, which means its viscosity increases with the rate of shear strain. In its raw state the material’s molecules flow freely allowing the material to be soft and flexible, but under impact, the molecules lock together absorbing and dissipating the impact energy before instantly returning to a soft and flexible state. D3O material scientists incorporate the dilatant with different polymers to create a range of stable materials that retain these soft, flexible and shock absorbing properties.
D3O has applied this branded ingredient technology to develop the Trauma Reduction Unrivalled Shock Technology (TRUST) range of products which has been designed specifically for the defence and law enforcement sectors to offer a head-to-toe personal protection system that is lightweight, comfortable and flexible. These ready-made solutions can be sold within the defence industry via approved distributors or can be integrated into existing apparel and PPE produced by Government prime contractors, to be then purchased by the Government procurement agencies.
High Performance Integrated Knee Pad System
D3O has built on its long-standing partnership with outdoor apparel company Patagonia to co-develop a patented technology for the defence and workwear market. This patented technology enables a novel integration of the TRUST High Performance Internal Knee Pad into Active Combat Pants (ACP). The protective padding system will revolutionise how D3O currently sees protection for military and workwear personnel.
The system, that has both an inner pad and outer clip-on shell, uses D3O impact protection material and is secured and detached using clips through tailo