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New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bombs

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#1 ·
New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bombs

The New York Times

July 23, 2011

Article quotes; full content at link.





By CHRISTOPHER DREW

An innovative chimney to vent blasts from buried bombs could make the Humvee safer and bring the most popular military vehicle since the Jeep back from the sidelines in Afghanistan.

The Humvee fell out of favor in Iraq and Afghanistan as homemade bombs, the biggest killer of American troops, ripped through its light armor and turned it into a death trap.

But recent blast tests show that Humvees built with the new chimney could provide as much protection as some of the heavier, and more costly, mine-resistant vehicles that have replaced them in many uses.

And if the final tests go well, the invention could save billions in new vehicle costs and restore much of the maneuverability that the Army and the Marines have lacked in the rugged terrain in Afghanistan, military officials say. Engineers say the chimney, which rises through the passenger cabin, releases some of the explosive gases — traveling at twice the speed of a fighter jet — that have mangled and flipped many of the vehicles.

Pentagon officials have said little about the 11 blast tests so far, in which the prototype vehicles are engulfed by a cloud of smoke, dust and fire, but the passenger cabin remains intact.

Dr. Leo Christodoulou, who has overseen the tests for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said in a written statement that the changes represented a “significant improvement” over the classic Humvees.

He said the new design also provided safety levels comparable to the smallest mine-resistant vehicles, which can weigh twice as much as the Humvees, and might be useful in protecting other military vehicles.

John M. McHugh, the Army secretary, recently told a Senate committee that the new approach held “a great deal of promise, and it’s exciting.” He said commanders had been reluctant to send Humvees off bases in Afghanistan “because of the problems with survivability.”

The chimney was designed by a small Maryland firm, Hardwire L.L.C., which is working with AM General, an Indiana company that has built 270,000 Humvees since the mid-1980s. Hardwire is run by a colorful group of aeronautical engineers who say they took a fresh approach to evaluating how to make the vehicles safer.

George Tunis, the company’s chief executive, likened the chimney to an exhaust vent on a rocket.

He said that rather than just piling on more armor to absorb the blasts, as has been typical in the past, the idea was to disperse as much of the explosive energy as possible.
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

A late friend of mine proposed this idea to Darpa and Tacom a few years ago and helped champion its design along with the vee wedge undercarriage design currently being used. He has a daughter who works for Darpa who continued to champion his Ideas and see it through. He's no longer with us but John would be proud. He was a Army Ranger/GM retiree. It makes it a little cramped inside but it works. Venting the energy through the tube stops the vehicle from turning over or gutting the floorpan. In fact some vehicles are still driveable after the test which allows the occupants to exit harms way. Some current Humvees are retrofitted with the V wedge bottom which like it sounds is a V shaped undercarriage to direct the blast out and to the sides of the vehicle. It came before the Tube Vent.John was also one of the guys who did guidance design work on the sparrow missle still used today.
 
#7 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

Can Santa come down this at Christmas?
 
#8 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

I want one.
 
#11 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

So is the thought that at the normal speeds that they run the front wheel hits a wire and trips the explosion which would put the majority of the forces in the center of the vehicle---making the chimney valuable?
If you guys have ever been in a Humvee there is almost no legroom and the center console is very wide. Where is the room for people with the chimney?
Wouldn't a more extreme V shaped bottom be more effective?
 
#12 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

So is the thought that at the normal speeds that they run the front wheel hits a wire and trips the explosion which would put the majority of the forces in the center of the vehicle---making the chimney valuable?
If you guys have ever been in a Humvee there is almost no legroom and the center console is very wide. Where is the room for people with the chimney?
Wouldn't a more extreme V shaped bottom be more effective?
the centre "CAB" part is a LOT taller/Higher then a "normal" Humvee so that I assume is to add "Chimney space" I know the CDN Forces scrapped our IIltis Jeeps for armored MB "G" wagons and armoured boat hulled Nyala
The RG-31 Nyala is designed to protect soldiers primarily from small-arms fire and landmines. The underside of the hull has been made in a V shape, which allows the blast to flow around the vehicle rather than exploding beneath it. However, the sides and front are not designed in the same way and it's unknown how this affects the Nayla's performance in the field.
 
#14 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

All in all a pretty neat idea.

Kinda wonder about the interior space tho.

Btw, GMforME - thanks to your friend's contributions in both service and doing something for the troops today.
 
#16 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

This article should not be in this thread section at all.
The vehicle in the article isn't a Hummer. It is the about the new Humvee which is made AM GENERAL, a military/commercial vehicle company that GM/old GM NEVER owned, But had a contract with.

This article belongs in the Automotive & GM NEWS section, NOT HERE!

SAAB news doesn't belong in this section either!!
They should be in the "European competition" news section.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#17 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

This article should not be in this thread section at all.
The vehicle in the article isn't a Hummer. It is the about the new Humvee which is made AM GENERAL, a military/commercial vehicle company that GM/old GM NEVER owned, But had a contract with.

This article belongs in the Automotive & GM NEWS section, NOT HERE!

SAAB news doesn't belong in this section either!!
They should be in the "European competition" news section.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yup! :yup:
 
#18 ·
Re: New Humvee Uses "Chimney" Blast-Relief Design To Protect Troops From Roadside Bom

I'll be Mr. obvious here, but one of the things they found out with tanks many years ago is that if you angle the armour, it not only deflects most shells, but the same thickness armour becomes thicker. Hope I explained that properly.
 
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