Heat stress in front and rear cockpits of F-4 aircraft
The thermal stresses encountered in the front and rear cockpits of F-4 aircraft flying low-level missions in warm, moderately humid weather and physiological responses to these stresses are investigated. Measurements of ground and cockpit environmental temperatures and subject skin and core temperatures were acquired for the preflight taxi, low-level flight, ordnance delivery and postflight taxi phases of 36 flights of F-4E aircraft performed to simulate low-level ground attack missions. Cockpit dry-bulb temperatures are found to exceed those on the ground during ground operations, and to decrease in flight in the front, but not the rear, cockpit. A linear relationship between cockpit dry bulb and temperatures is also found in each of the mission phases, along with increases in skin and core temperatures with cockpit temperatures and sweat rates depending both on cockpit temperatures and the amount of clothing worn. Adverse physiological effects related to nausea and acceleration tolerances are also noted. It is concluded that the cockpit cooling system of the F-4 allows the development of operationally significant heat stress, which may be corrected by better design and testing of the cooling system.
- Research Organization:
- USAF, School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Tex.; RAF, Institute of Aviation Medicine, Farnborough, Hants., England
- OSTI ID:
- 5579729
- Journal Information:
- Aviat., Space Environ. Med.; (United States), Vol. 52
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
AIRCRAFT
COOLING SYSTEMS
PERSONNEL
THERMAL STRESSES
AIR FLOW
BIOLOGICAL FATIGUE
CLOTHING
DUCTS
HEAT
PERFORMANCE
PHYSIOLOGY
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TOLERANCE
ENERGY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FLUID FLOW
GAS FLOW
STRESSES
551000* - Physiological Systems
420100 - Engineering- General Engineering- (-1987)