Doc 0000173499

The image displays a dark background with white text overlayed. On the left side, a stylized image of a bank vault door is visible, illuminated by a blue light. The text describes the origin of the document, stating it was obtained from "The Black Vault," an online database of declassified government documents. It specifically mentions the "MKULTRA/Mind Control Collection" and provides a website address. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures present in this image. . •~ • • - THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS ..;.:~,- PAGES, COPY NO. I _s_ OF COPIES. - NON-PENETRATING IMPACT AS AN AGENT FOR PERSONNEL INCAPACITATION --] Prepared by: - --- ·- .. ------- ·- ~ 31 January 1972 -------------------- ( This report has been prepared- -b-y -t-he- ) as a part of a Government contract. The views expres sed are those of ----·--- ----- \personnel and not neces- sarily those of the United States Government. i _;.--·--1'>'-----'"'----·_........--..--.----·-........ ----------------·-·---------·---- ·.-,..~-~--~~---·-~·-.·~-.. ~··;><0 ...., .._•• TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Protocol Statement i List of Figures and Tables iii Problem •.. 1 Introduction . . . . 1 Discussion . . • . . . . 2 I. Potential Applications for Incapacitation 2 II. Physical Variables of Impact . . 4 III. Physiological Considerations . 7 A. Impact as a Reaction. 7 B. Physical Basis for Biologic Effects 8 C. Biologic Effects • . • . . . . . • • 9 . . . . . . . D. Thresholds . . .. 1 1 E. Physiological Conclusions 21 IV. Other System Factors . . 23 A. Range ... 23 B. Covertness 23 C. Duration of Incapacitation . 23 D. Countermeasures 24 V. Equipment State of the Art 25 VI. Recommendations 28 References . . . . . • . 30 ii ' --- ·. · .. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Factors of the Reaction Between an Impacting Object and the Human Body 7 Figure 2. Approximate Acceleration-- Injury Correla tion of the Study by Higgins, et al 13 Figure 3. Suggested Approximate Thresholds for Impact Effects on the Head Under Laboratory Conditions . . . . . . . . . . • • • . . 14 LIST OF TABLES Table I Metric Units of the Fundamental Dynamic Factorsofimpact ........ . 6 Table II Hypothetical Results of a Well-Developed Concussion System Under Field Conditions 16 Table III Effects of Non- PenetraJing Impacts on the Trunk . . . . . • . . . . . . . . 19 Table IV Estimated Durations of I:qcapacitation for Non-Repetitive Impacts .•.... 24 Table V Effects of Soft Plastic Projectiles Designed 26 to Cause Concussion . • • • . . . iii NON-PENETRATING IMPACT AS AN AGENT FOR PERSONNEL INCAPACITATION PROBLEM To evaluate, especially from the physiologic point of view, non-penetrating impact as an agent for personnel incapacitation. INTRODUCTION For The page is a title page for a document. It contains a header with the text "THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS" and line items that are partially filled in for the number of "PAGES, COPY NO." and "COPIES." Below this is the document's title: "NON-PENETRATING IMPACT AS AN AGENT FOR PERSONNEL INCAPACITATION." The date "31 January 1972" is also present on the page. There is a handwritten annotation in the bottom right corner, circled, which appears to be a page number: "245." The document seems to be a formal report from the early 1970s. .•.... 24 Table V Effects of Soft Plastic Projectiles Designed 26 to Cause Concussion . • • • . . . iii NON-PENETRATING IMPACT AS AN AGENT FOR PERSONNEL INCAPACITATION PROBLEM To evaluate, especially from the physiologic point of view, non-penetrating impact as an agent for personnel incapacitation. INTRODUCTION For the purposes o£ this report, a non-penetrating impact is considered to be a relatively high-velocity collision between a. blunt object and the human body, excluding those collisions that break the skin. The results of non-penetrating impact are usually classed as blunt trauma in the medical literature. Healthy adult humans in the 45 to 90 kilogram weight range are assumed to be the subjects for incapacitation throughout this report. DISCUSSION I. Potential Applications for Incapacitation Controlled impact can offer a number of advantages when compared to other proposed techniques for personnel incapacitation. Among the possible advan tages are: Spectrum of incapacitation: pain, muscle spasm, breathlessness, un consciousness, severe injury. Rapidity of incapacitation: onset of action within a second. Directivity: with respect to person to be incapa·citated. Controllability: of time of onset and type of incapacitation. Safety: for the operator. Simplicity: of techniques and equipment. Covertness: can be extremely quiet and unobtrusive. Most of the incapacitating biologic effects of impact are critically de:;;>endent upon anatomic location, implying that an impact system would have to be aimed at a selected point on the subject's body by some means. Under field conditions, impact systems will probably not prove feasible for incapacitating a group of subjects at one time although a system might be capable of incapa citating a number of individuals in rapid succession. The aiming requirement also indicates that most systems would have to be controlled directly by an operator; any pre-set trap system would have to: ( 1) ensure that the subject will move precisely into a pre-determined position; or (2) be equipped with an elaborate automatic aiming subsystem. Incapacitation by impact alone will usually be brief unless the operator is willing to risk severe injury or death of the subject.. The rapid onset of incapacitation by impact makes it a natural choice for the initial "knockdown11 technique, to be followed immediately by application of a different method of maintaining control of the subject if prolonged incapacitation is desired. In the prolonged incapacitation case, the requirement for prompt application of -2- a second technique may prove to be a limiting factor in The page contains a section of typed text. The text includes the phrases "This report has been prepared by the," "a part of a Government contract," "The views expres-," and "sed are those of personnel and not neces-sarily those of the United States Government." There are also some handwritten markings and a letter "i" at the bottom of the page. There are no photographs, diagrams, forms, tables, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. choice for the initial "knockdown11 technique, to be followed immediately by application of a different method of maintaining control of the subject if prolonged incapacitation is desired. In the prolonged incapacitation case, the requirement for prompt application of -2- a second technique may prove to be a limiting factor in the range of pro jectable impact systems in that the operator(s) would have just a few seconds to approach the downed subject and apply the second technique. Within these limitations, a variety of impact systems could be developed for general or specific application. Examples would be a hand- held "calibra ted blackjack, a relatively long-range projectile "stun gun" or a hijacker 11 trap installed on aircraft. The impact delivery system would be mechani cally simple and reliable, using power from human muscle, springs, compressed gas, pyrotechnics, or other sources. Repeat action could be developed for use against multiple subjects. -3- -~-... --·----- ---~-- -----·- ·------------------- ·. - II. Physical Variables of Impact Impact is collision, the forceful contact of two objects that have moved to gether. In an elementary sense, the basic factors of impact are simple: the mass and structural characteristics of each ooject and their relative velocity just before impact. In most practical situations, a detailed en gineering analysis of an impact situation would require that a large number of variables be considered and a complete description of the event would be extremely complex. A major complication in most impact analyses is that a number of important variables change rapidly and interdependently during a short time period. In a simple impact case, two objects approach each other at a known velocity and in a known geometric relationship. Both objects start to be deformed at the first moment of contact, and pressure and shear waves start to travel through both objects. The area of contact between the objects becomes larger as a result of deformation to "fit, 11 although pressure usually rema.i ns highest at the centerpoint of the contact area. Momentum is conserved and transferred between the objects. Kinetic energy is conserved, transferred between objects, stored as potential energy, or dissipated as sound, frictional heat or disruption of one or both objects. Both objects accelerate; usually both objects are subject to combined linear and angular accelerations. If a sufficiently strong elastic component is present in the interaction, the objects will be forced apart and the area of contact The image displays the "TABLE OF CONTENTS" of a document, listing various sections and their corresponding page numbers. The content is presented in a structured, text-based format typical of a table of contents, with items like "Protocol Statement," "Discussion," and "References" leading to specific page numbers ranging from "i" to "30." The document appears to be official and potentially sensitive, given the context of the MKUltra collection, although no explicit classification markings are visible on this particular page. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, forms, diagrams, or visual evidence of experimental procedures, equipment, or facilities on this page. energy, or dissipated as sound, frictional heat or disruption of one or both objects. Both objects accelerate; usually both objects are subject to combined linear and angular accelerations. If a sufficiently strong elastic component is present in the interaction, the objects will be forced apart and the area of contact will become smaller as one or both objects release potential elastic energy and start to restore their original shape. Impact is complete as soon as kinetic energy transfer is complete and the two objects are moving together as a unit (like a ball of putty thrown so as to stick on a wall) or have broken contact to move independently again. Detailed analysis of the reaction described above would not be a simple -4- matter even with the simplest sort of homogeneous masses moving as "isolated systems" in the ideal physical sense, or with perfect billiard . b~J.lls moving on a perfect billiard table. When one of the objects is as inhomogeneous, complex and irregular as the human body, the problem of impact defies detailed analysis except for minor extrapolations of empiri cal data. Any systematic treatment of the human gody in impact must consider the body as a number of masses connected in a variable geometry by supporting structures with rapidly varying mechanical characteristics. A blow to the head of a man reading a book is likely to have an effec~ quite different from the same blow delivered to the same man by an opponent in the boxing ring. Table I briefly defines fundamental dynamic units of impact factors, in the metric system. Non-metric units commonly found in the impact literature are: "atmosphere" of pressure equal to about 1. 01 • 106 dynes/cm 2 ; 11G11 of acceleration equal to about 980 cm/sec2 ; the English unit 11pound11 has been confusing because it may be used as a unit of mass or a unit of force. All of the factors noted in Table I are vector quantities except for mass and kinetic energy. This report will not deal specifically with the factors that determine the structural characteristics of colliding objects. The various moduli, strengths, viscosities and impedances that quantitatively define the compres sibility, pla&ticity and elasticity of-structures in the human impact context 1 2 have been reviewed by von Gierke. ' -5- ------------------------- ·. ·. - TABLE I METRIC UNITS OF THE FUNDAMENTAL DYNAMIC FACTORS OF IMPACT Factor Definition objects. The various moduli, strengths, viscosities and impedances that quantitatively define the compres sibility, pla&ticity and elasticity of-structures in the human impact context 1 2 have been reviewed by von Gierke. ' -5- ------------------------- ·. ·. - TABLE I METRIC UNITS OF THE FUNDAMENTAL DYNAMIC FACTORS OF IMPACT Factor Definition Unit Equivalent Mass Inertial characteristic of gram matter; proportional to "weight" in gravity field Velocity Rate of change of position em/sec Accelera- Rate of change of velocity em/ sec2 tion 3 Jolt Rate of change of acceleration em/ sec3 Momentum Product of mass and velocity; gm-cm/sec also, product of force and time * .:a Force Product of mass and accelera dyne gm-cm I sec tion 3 Onset Rate of change of force; also, dyne/sec gm-cm/sec3 product of mass and jolt Pressure Force per unit area barye dyne/cm2 Kinetic Work capability due to motion; erg ** gm-cm2 / sec2 energy product of force and distance *one Newton is 106 dynes ** 0 ne J . O U 1e l . S 10~ ergs. -6- ----' -- - - - III. Physiological Considerations A. Impact as a Reaction The physical and biological consequences of impact are determined by the reaction between the impacting object and the human body. Figure 1 indi cates a number of the factors and subfactors that enter into and modify the reaction. Primary impact factors are those related to the initial contact The Reaction Anatomic location of primary impact; Relative velocity; Size oC contact area; I Direction oC momentum vector relative to body 11.xes Impacting Object 1 Human Body Mass; Mechanical characteristics of Size; the part struck; Shape; Size; Modifiers of the Reaction Compressibility; Health; Plasticity; Interposed rigid shielding; Posture .Elasticity; Interposed padding; of the part struck, Attachments to other struc- Support for body or parts of other parts tures; Muscle tone Orientation at moment of·impac at moment of impact Surface characteristics ~ Details of Body Acceleration* Peak differential acceleration; Duration oC acceleration; Shape o! acceleration curve; Others ~ Primary Biologic EHects Factors of Secondary Impact l Secondary Biologic Effects Figure 1. F•ctors of the Reaction Between ao Impacting Object and the Human Body. * Including both linear md angular accelerations. -7- between an impacting object and the body. Secondary impact would be any subsequent impact events which might occur as a consequence of the first. Examples of secondary impact would be collisions between: ( 1) the same This is a page from a declassified document that appears to be a table of contents or index for figures and tables. It contains no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. There are no visible redactions. The content is purely textual, listing titles and corresponding page numbers for figures and tables within the document. The page is structured with headings "LIST OF FIGURES" and "LIST OF TABLES," followed by titled entries and page numbers. The page contains text from a declassified CIA document. The content is primarily typed text, structured into sections with headings such as "NON-PENETRATING IMPACT AS AN AGENT FOR PERSONNEL INCAPACITATION," "PROBLEM," and "INTRODUCTION." There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, schematics, or tables visible on the page, nor is there any visual evidence of experimental procedures, equipment, or facilities. The page's visual appearance is solely that of a typed document with standard paragraph and heading formatting. Impacting Object and the Human Body. * Including both linear md angular accelerations. -7- between an impacting object and the body. Secondary impact would be any subsequent impact events which might occur as a consequence of the first. Examples of secondary impact would be collisions between: ( 1) the same impacting mass and a second body part; {2) two body parts; or (3) some body part and a second object, such as a floor or wall. • Consideration of Figure 1 leads to the conclusion that many of the variables important to an impact problem a·:·e interrelated in a complex manner, and suggests that many factors can be critical with regard to the biologic outc9me of any given impact situation. B. Physical Basis for Biologic Effects. Most of the biologic effects of impact are due to mechanical deformations of body tissues. These deformations are the result of forces arising from differential acceleration of body parts. The forces may tend to compress, expand, bend, shear or twist the tissues. The force pattern is usually com~ plex and changes rapidly with time. Oscillations may travel to body areas• away from the site of impact in the form of compressional or shear waves, and oscillatory action could persist for a short time. Pre-impact momentum is conserved when the post-impact vector velocities of both the impacting object and the body are considered. These velocities also constitute part of the energy that is conserved through the impact event. Part of the kinetic energy of impact is converted to frictional heat from: (1) deformations of the impacting object and the body; and (2) contact with the air.and other surrounding materials. More of the kinetic energy may be absorbed in structural disruption or converted to potential energy or sound. The physic;tl effects of impact on living systems may be summarized as: (l) short term deformations; (2) longer term deformation including struc tural disruptions; and (3) heati"ng, usual minor. Redistribution of body ·fluids -8- - and other effects only become significant when unidirectional accelerative forces persist longer than a second; these effects are beyond the scope of this report. C. Biologic Effects. Most of the biologic effects that might be de sired f~r temporary incapacita tion of personnel are caused by the short-term deformations of tissue, especially those with rapid onset. A forceful push will not be as effective as a sharp blow for incapacitation purposes. The most report. C. Biologic Effects. Most of the biologic effects that might be de sired f~r temporary incapacita tion of personnel are caused by the short-term deformations of tissue, especially those with rapid onset. A forceful push will not be as effective as a sharp blow for incapacitation purposes. The most dramatic transient effects o~ impact are those on nervous and mus cular tissues. Appropriate rapid deformation of these "irritable" tissues can cause depolarization {"firing" of nerve cells, contraction of muscle fibers) and an alteration of the functional status of the tissues for some time after the blow. This is the mechanism of all the commonly experienced effects that start with great rapidity following impact. Firing of nerve fibers in the skin and deeper- structures causes the immediate pain at the site of impact, as well as effects like the tingling pain that shoots down the forearm from a." blow on the "funny bone, 11 (the ulnar nerve at the elbow). Rapid compression of muscle tissue is presumed to be the cause of the '"'charley horse, " a painfully persistent mass of spastic muscle resulting from a blow. The dis play of lights ''seen" by a person receiving a sub-concussive blow on the head is apparently caused by direct mechanical stimulation of the visual cortex of the brain; a similar display can be induced by experimental electricc:..l stimu lation of the visual cortex. Concussion, the sudden loss of consciousness immediately following a blow to the head, is presumed to be caused by short term mechanical deformation of the central nervous system. Electroenceph alographic and animal studies indicate that concussion is due to functional changes in vital hindbrain centers. These same studies also indicate that certain-phases of the concussion-recovery sequence include suppression of basic reflex activities, and other phases resemble natural deep sleep and. . 4, 5 . . awa k enmg. · -9- ' ~ -; -- Longer term effects of impact may include: ( 1) alteration in the per meability of vascular systems near the impact site; (2) disruptions of blood vessels; (3) dislocation and/or breakage of structures other than blood vessels. The permeability changes account for swelling, aside from lumps of spastic muscle, without discoloration. Breaks in blood vessels cause the subcutaneous hemorrhage of a simple contusion or bruise, as well as more serious losses of blood from the vascular sys tem. Bones, cartilages and teeth are subject to This document page contains only text, formatted as a typed report. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. The content appears to be a section of a larger document titled "DISCUSSION" with a subsection titled "I. Potential Applications for Incapacitation." The text discusses the advantages and considerations of using controlled impact for incapacitation, including spectrum, rapidity, directivity, controllability, safety, simplicity, and covertness. The page is numbered "-2-" at the bottom. The page is a scanned document with text. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, signatures, official stamps, forms, diagrams, schematics, organizational charts, tables, or structured data visible on this page; however, there are scattered small black dots throughout the page, which could be artifacts of the scanning process. There are no visible redactions or obscured content, nor any visual evidence of experimental procedures or facilities. The text content itself, which is not a visual element, appears to be a continuation of a report discussing "impact systems." blood vessels. The permeability changes account for swelling, aside from lumps of spastic muscle, without discoloration. Breaks in blood vessels cause the subcutaneous hemorrhage of a simple contusion or bruise, as well as more serious losses of blood from the vascular sys tem. Bones, cartilages and teeth are subject to dislocation by impact. Organs seriously injured by blunt trauma are usually classified as: skin and subcutaneous tis sue; skeletal muscle; the complete skeleton including cartilage and teeth; heart and great vessels; the "hollow viscera" including the gastro-intestinal, biliary and lower urinary systems; the "solid organs 11 including brain, liver, spleen and kidneys; 'and special organs such as lungs, eyes, genitalia and larynx. Impact can cause chain reactions of injuries such as a blow to the chest which fractures ribs in such a way that the rib fragments cut blood vessels and membranes covering the lungs. The latter injuries can lead to serious internal hemorrhage and potentially fatal lung collapse. Laceration of the liver or other solid organs can cause massive internal hemorrhage and perforation of any hollow viscus leads to a life-threatening peritonitis. Either of these latter injuries, along with bleeding inside the skull and any injury that prevents adequate respiration, will usually be fatal unless medical care, including major surgery, is available promptly. Frictional heat of impact may play a part in the biologic effects of high velocity low momentum impacts, such as a painful switch on the skin with a lightweight whip. Although the possible abrasive component of such a blow is difficult to evaluate, enough heat energy from the impact may be dissipated in the skin to cause some of the observed local effects. A whip mark can resemble a thermal burn in many ways, with painful red swelling and tendency to blister and peel. It is interesting to speculate that any rapid change in skin energy level tends to evoke a similar type of response, regardless of whether change is due to heat, cold, friction, electricity, ionizing radiation or high velocity impact. -10- _I - ·. ~. D. Thresholds. For the purposes of the personnel incapacitation problem, the desired effects of impact would seem to be limited to: (1) concussion or other sudden decrement in level of consciousness; (2) transient paralysis in cluding apnea; and (3) pain or the threat of pain. The other effects noted in the previous section of this report either would ~ot problem, the desired effects of impact would seem to be limited to: (1) concussion or other sudden decrement in level of consciousness; (2) transient paralysis in cluding apnea; and (3) pain or the threat of pain. The other effects noted in the previous section of this report either would ~ot contribute to prompt incapacitation of the subject or would constitute a potentially serious in jury to the subject. Some results of impact could be both ineffective and dangerous; a crippling or life-threatening wound might not necessarily be rapidly incapacitating unless it also had sufficient effect in at least one of the three categories noted above. The remainder of this report will assume that impact is to be arranged so as to maximize the three potentially incapacitating effects and to minimize all of the other effects. Concussion without other damage could be a rapid and thorough type of incapacitation. Scientific attempts at evaluation of the factors and thres holds of concussion started well back in the last century and continue to present. Evaluation techniques have ranged from analyses of accidents and sporting events to postznortem studies and carefully controlled impacts deliberately delivered to the heads of experimental animals. The results of all these investigations may be summarized as follows: 1. The detailed mechanism or mechanisms leading to concussion remain a matter of debate. Some hypothetical mechanisms which have been advanced are as follows: (a} Local skull deformation with local pressure effects; (b) Increased overall intracranial pressure; (c) Diff~rential intracranial pressure; (d) Differential pressure across the foramen magnum~ {e) Shear forces across the brain stem; (£) Linear acceleration of the whole head; - 11- 1 - (g} Angular head acceleration causing differential motion between brain and skull; (h) Cavitation; (i) Flexion-compression phenomena at the craniospinal junc tion and, (j) Overstimulation of neck proprioceptors. Several of these hypotheses have been more or less disproved, at least in certain experimental circumstances, by later investigations. There is no generally accepted mechanism or group of mechanisms for concussion. z. There is general agreement: that alteration of function of struc tures in the hind brain and brain stem is a sine qua non of concussion; that a head free to move relative to the neck and shoulders is more subject to concussion than a firmly supported head; and that repeated concussive blows greatly increase the likelihood of serious injury or death. 3. Even with meticulous laboratory attempts The document displays a text-heavy page with a section title "II. Physical Variables of Impact." The majority of the page is filled with paragraphs discussing the physics of impact. There are no images, photographs, stamps, forms, diagrams, or tables present. There are no visible handwritten annotations, signatures, or marginalia. No redactions or obscured content are apparent on the page. Consequently, there is no visual evidence of experimental procedures, equipment, or facilities. The document is a page of text with no images, stamps, or handwritten annotations visible. The text discusses the physics of impact, particularly concerning the human body, and mentions a table defining fundamental dynamic units of impact factors. There are no redacted areas or visual evidence of experimental procedures. The only non-textual element is a page number "-5-" at the bottom of the page. stem is a sine qua non of concussion; that a head free to move relative to the neck and shoulders is more subject to concussion than a firmly supported head; and that repeated concussive blows greatly increase the likelihood of serious injury or death. 3. Even with meticulous laboratory attempts to control all of the variables indicated in Figure 1, no investigator has been able to establislt precise thresholds between non-concussion and concussion, or between concussion and more serious injuries. This failure is linked directly to the lack of understanding noted in paragraph 1 above. The careful work of Higgins, et al Illustrates the difficulties involved in 6 attempts to define a predictable relationship between impact and concussion. These investigators delivered calibrated, aimed impacts to the precisely oriented heads of twenty-five monkeys that had shaved scalps "potted" in plaster inside metal helmets. This elaborate preparation brought under control many of the variables noted in Figure 1. Even under these special conditions, with skull deformation a virtual impossibility, the authors were unable to calculate impact characteristics that would reliably cause con cussion without other serious injury. The concussive results were reported z- -1 } - .. not in terms of standardized impact ''doses" but in terms of measured angular acceleration imparted to the head. The reported results of the study are approximately summarized in Figure 2. A B I I I I / 99"/o RAPIDLY FATAL ? I I / (Percentage) 1" !o I I I 99"/o INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE I (Percentage) 1" !o I I 99"/o ~~~~------------C-O_N_C_U_SS-I-ON---------------- 4--- _ (Percentage) 1"/o z. z. 1. 0 1. 5 0 5 3. 0 3. 5 4.0 4.5 Angular Head Acceleration {106 radians per sec2) Figure 2. Approximate Acceleration -- Injury Correlation of the Study by Higgins, et al. Figure 2 indicates that under the extremely rigid artificial test conditions an acceleration level "A" could have been preselected to yield rates smaller than 1% for serious injury or death in conjunction with "successful" con cussion rates on the order of 25%- Acceleration level "B" could have been expected to yield a concussion rate of 99% with a serio