Fabrication and Testing of a Blast Concussion Burst Sensor. Final Report June 1, 2008-May 31, 2010

摘要

This project entails the design of passive, wearable sensors that provide an immediate and clear indication of the severity of exposure to explosive blasts, allowing soldiers with potential brain or other injuries to seek medical attention, and providing basic information about the blast to medical personnel. It focuses on development of burst membrane sensors, where the high pressure from an incident explosive shock wave ruptures a membrane sealing a reservoir containing an indicator dye. We created an experimental facility for testing prototype designs, developed appropriate explosive charges to simulate explosions capable of causing traumatic brain injury, and undertook several iterations of design and testing to achieve a suitable final prototype design. This design consists of a 0.15 mm thick glass membrane suspended over a 1/4-inch diameter reservoir well, scribed with a circular pattern slightly smaller than the well diameter. The result is simple to fabricate and assemble and ruptures at predictable pressure thresholds that are a function of the depth to which the glass is scribed.