Photo By Gabriella White | Tanner Fuselier, a DEVCOM CBC chemist at Aberdeen Proving Ground Edgewood, Maryland,...... read more read more
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD – The U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) has developed a new technique for testing gloves worn by warfighters to ensure that they provide full protection from chemical agent.
Dubbed “glove as a glove”, the technique involves using special equipment developed by DEVCOM CBC engineers and using well-worn gloves to ensure realism when testing the entire glove as if it were a full system.
“With the massive dependence on our hands – and by extension, our gloves – we figure ‘why not test them as such?’ as opposed to using multiple swatches,” said Jennifer Hughes, a lab manager for CBC’s Engineering Directorate. “When striving for mission success, DEVCOM CBC has decided it’s more important than ever to ensure our Soldiers’ gloves are thoroughly and strenuously tested for their durability and permeation protective capabilities against a chemical threat.”
Traditionally, a Soldier’s uniform and other synthetic materials are tested on a smaller scale. Swatches are cuts of fabric taken from a full article of clothing that are meant to be samples for design or testing purposes. But gloves aren’t so simple, since their complex seams and multiple materials lend themselves poorly for the swatch method of permeation testing. Features such as leather palm reinforcements and plastic knuckle armor make traditional testing on gloves a challenge in the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) realm.
Thomas Hughes, a chemist at DEVCOM CBC and principal investigator for the glove as a glove program, had guidelines for the gloves being tested to be field-worn. According to Hughes, cutting a swatch is impossible for a worn glove because their dimensions do not line up for the Center’s previous fixtures.
A worn glove conforms to the contours of the hand over time, stretching in some areas more than others, said Hughes. Wear and tear are best collected as data points when not simulated, so the gloves being tested have seen 504 hours of use – dirt, sweat and all. “The three-dimensionalness of a hand is complex, and can’t be captured in a swatch. Hence the need for a new testing capability,” Hughes said.
The glove as a glove initiative was specifically requested by the Joint Project Manager for CBRN Protection (JPM CBRN Protection), a component of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO CBRND). Their request was for a method that tests a complete system – the entire glove – at one time. There can be no margin for chemical agents to penetrate what is essentially the first line of defense for Soldiers and scientists in the field.
Since a flat, worn combat glove is not possible for testing, Hughes got to work back in November 2022 creating a testing methodology called Verification and Validation (V&V). It is comprised of two foam molds that distribute even pressure across the glove, thus ensuring consistent results for measured permeation. According to Jennifer Hughes, V&V for initiatives like glove as a glove can be just as intensive and thorough when compared to the actual tests.
“Our process is to have multiple pads inside the glove that are meant to absorb chemical agents if they seep through,” said Jennifer Hughes. “Our other fixtures have a contact pressure of 1 psi for the swatch. We want to have consistency to compare previous results. Swatches are tested one way, and whole gloves are tested another. Using similar dosing amounts and pressures links the glove method back to the accepted swatch methods. We used the same test plan from the swatch method for Verification and Validation, then said we will test under these conditions, so that when we’re done it will be approved under the same program of record.”
Development of the prototype system was done by DEVCOM CBC’s Advanced Design Manufacturing (ADM) facility. They completed the 3D-modeling, engineering and working from concept, to prototype, to final capability. V&V for glove as a glove was completed in January 2024.
“The results we generate have to be accepted by all the different agencies under our joint services program,” said Thomas Hughes. “There are many stakeholders that need to know we have the test infrastructure needed to generate consistent data. There’s no point if we can't do it consistently or without it being accepted by a stakeholder. This is the only place that is validated for the glove as a glove testing.”
“The demand signal from customers is that they may want us to do this for a boot at some point,” said Thomas Hughes. “There is a potential for a mannequin to look at everything as an ensemble, boots, uniform, mask, hood – we may move forward with that in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 10.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2024 13:03 |
| Story ID: | 483345 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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