Thanks to a U.S. Navy Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, contract, Natick”s Thermal Test Facility has a new, one-of-a-kind, articulating manikin to conduct flame and thermal testing on individual uniforms and personal protective equipment. The Pfc. Joseph Ouellette Thermal Test Facility, known as TTF, is a joint Army-Navy flame and thermal research facility located at the U.S. Army”s Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts and managed by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center for the Department of Defense. The TTF features a state-of-the-art propane test cell, a laser and photonics lab, and three smaller laboratories designed to support the evaluation and characterization of flame and thermal threats on individual clothing and equipment worn by U.S. military personnel from each branch of the armed services, as well as civilian first-responders and law enforcement agencies.
