Improvement of the U.S. Army Intermediate Cold Wet Boot

• Main Author: Endrusick, Thomas L.
• Other Authors: ARMY RESEARCH INST OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE NATICK MA BIOPHYSICS AND BIOMEDICAL MODELING DIV
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Logistics; Military Facilities and Supplies; Protective Equipment; *INSULATION; *LININGS; *COLD WEATHER; *PROTECTIVE CLOTHING; *BOOTS; TEST AND EVALUATION; NATO; ARMY RESEARCH; ARMY PERSONNEL; STRESS(PHYSIOLOGY); COLD REGIONS; MEDICINE; TEMPERATURE CONTROL; RANGE(EXTREMES); MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL; ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION; ARMY OPERATIONS; LEATHER; BIOPHYSICS; COMPONENT REPORTS; NATO FURNISHED; ECWB(EXTREME COLD WEATHER BOOT); Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADP012442; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP012442

In 1988, the U.S. Army began a program to develop a new combat boot for dismounted soldiers and marines operating in cold and wet environments where the mean monthly temperature ranges between - 10 deg and + 20 deg C. The new Intermediate Cold Wet Boot (ICWB) was designed to fill the protective void between the uninsulated U.S. Army Standard Combat Boot and the highly-insulated U.S. Army Extreme Cold Weather Vapor Barrier Boot. The development of the ICWB has been managed under a unique U.S. Army Pre-planned Product Improvement (P(sup 3)I) program that is designed to continuously improve the protective performance of the boot through the rapid integration of proven technological advances in design, fabrication, and materials. Since 1991, numerous changes have been made to the ICWB under this dynamic P(sup 3)I process. These include improvements to the boot's outer leather, insulation, waterproof/breathable membrane, insole, and midsole as well as other enhancements to the structure of the basic boot. Since the boot's inception, the Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine has been responsible for extensive biophysical and physiological evaluations of current and prototype versions assessing the potential impact of new technologies on the environmental protective capabilities of the ICWB. The continuous adaptation of improved features to the ICWB has resulted in a boot with a high degree of wearer acceptance within the U.S. military and could serve as a model for future protective clothing procurement by other NATO countries. 8 Oct 2001 to 10 Oct 2001, "The original document contains color images" Papers presented at the RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel (HFM) Symposium held in Dresden, Germany, 8-10 Oct 2001, p33-1/33-10. This article is from ADA403853 Blowing Hot and Cold: Protecting Against Climatic Extremes (Souffler le chaud et le froid: comment se proteger contre les conditions climstiques extremes)