NCMS Project #: 142247
Problem: With increasing demands for fuel efficiency, light weighting has the potential to become a widespread, fundamental practice in automotive and aerospace design. Its benefits are significant, however light weighting is not without complications. The tradeoff is that reducing the mass of a structure impacts every other mechanical aspect of design. A lighter material naturally has different structural tolerances, and manufacturers must consider these variances to meet the strict safety, durability, and performance standards, all while keeping weight and system maintainability in mind.
Benefit: The Army will utilize the lessons learned from this initiative to make informed decision on how to apply the processes and tools learned during this initiative to help improve reliability and reduce weight of critical parts and components for other systems and equipment. Investigations into more efficient designs that are focused on reducing weight and costs while improving performance will demonstrate substantial advantages to a wide array of commercial maintenance and sustainment organizations.
Solution/Approach: The objective of this initiative is to develop, pilot, and demonstrate a common set of processes and advance the state of modeling and simulation tools to optimize and light weight critical parts and components that can improve maintenance and sustainment of ground vehicle systems. Using the Abrams Tank as a surrogate, this initiative will leverage advanced design technologies and methodologies, materials, tools, manufacturing techniques, and design to explore the best light weighting solutions for historically heavy suspension components.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Reduce repair time and material waste
- Enhance warfighter readiness
- Decrease maintenance and sustainment costs
- Lengthen product lifecycles through optimized and lighter weight parts
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Army Program Executive Officer Ground Combat System
- U.S. Army Project Director Main Battle Tank Systems
- U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC)
Industry Participation:
- Altair Engineering, Inc.
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Mx avoidance & reliability
- Mx management improvement
- Improved readiness
- Reliability improvement
- Lightweighting
Mx Focus Area:
- Advanced/Additive Manufacturing
