SKYWARD, LTD. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N172-120

Description

During operation of E-2D aircraft, excessive cockpit noise and helmet vibration have resulted in documented cases of aircrew fatigue, hearing loss, and missed radio communications. Preliminary studies have identified that poor vibro-acoustic performance of the HGU-68/P helmet in the frequency range of E-2D operation may be the root cause. Skyward proposes a solution leveraging high-fidelity computational simulation to predict the HGU-68/P vibro-acoustic performance and physics-based multidisciplinary optimization to explore design alternatives and potential solutions to reduce sound pressure levels and dynamic excitations experienced by the wearer. Efforts will include 3D scanning to capture helmet geometry, creation of high fidelity structural-acoustic finite element (FE) model of the helmet in the E-2D environment, validation of the model against experimental testing to reduce uncertainty in the computational models, and design optimization to explore solutions. The Phase I effort will produce a high-fidelity, experimentally validated computational model of the helmet, as well as multiple options for design modifications to reduce noise intensity and helmet accelerations, which can be explored in Phase II.