U.S. ARMY TANK AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER

TARDEC

Product Life Cycle Engineering (PLE)

Overview

September 2017

1UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Organizational Structure

2

TARDEC is Currently Operationally Aligned (OPCON) to TACOM LCMC While Remaining Administratively Aligned (ADCON) to RDECOM

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

US Army TACOM Life

Cycle Management

Command (LCMC)

US Army Training and

Doctrine Command

(TRADOC)

US Army Research,

Development and

Engineering Command

(RDECOM)

US Army Materiel

Command (AMC)

US Army Tank

Automotive Research,

Development and

Engineering Center

(TARDEC)

Assistant Secretary of

the Army, Acquisition,

Logistics and

Technology, ASA (ALT)

ARL

AMRDEC

ARDEC

CERDEC

ECBC

NSRDEC

TARDEC

TARDEC’s Influential Footprint: Facilities and Workforce

3

International Presence

Australia

Germany

Army Petroleum

Laboratory

New Cumberland, PA

SANGB

MI

• Fresh Water Test Facility

• Bridge Dynamic Structural

Load Simulation Laboratory

• Occupant Protection Lab

Fuels & Lubricants

Research Facility

San Antonio, TX

FAST- Science Advisor

USARPAC, HI

MCOE

Ft. Benning, GA

Survivability Laboratory

Grayling, MI

ASA(ALT)

Washington D.C.

MSCOE

Ft. Leonard Wood, MO

TARDEC Main Campus

Warren, MI

• Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory

(GSPEL)

• Vehicle Full Load Cooling Test Chamber

• Crew Station/Turret Motion Base Simulator

(CS/TMBS)

• Ride Motion Simulator

• System-level Analysis Capability

• Center for Systems Integration (CSI)

• Vehicle Characterization Laboratory (VCL)

• Ground Vehicle Simulation Laboratory (GVSL)

• Elastomer Improvement Laboratory

• Fuels & Lubricants Laboratory

• Various Systems Integration Laboratories (SILs)

• Active Protection Integration – Cell

• Laser Protection Lab

• Robotic control Technology Lab

• Large Platform Autonomy Lab

SCoE

Ft. Lee, VA

SOCOM

Ft. Bragg, NC

Seawater Desalination

Test Facility (SDTF)

Port Hueneme, CA

UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO

89%

1%

10%Total Workforce

Civilians*

Military

Contractors

Total 1825

*Includes Interns

5%44%47%

4%

Education(Civilians Only)

AssociatesBachelorsMastersDoctorate

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Supporting TACOM LCMC, Defense Logistics Agency, TARDEC S&T and PEOs/PMs

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Overview of PLE Tech Areas

UNCLASSIFIED / DIST. A

Industrial Base/ DMSMS

Climate Control &Electrical

Reverse Engineering

Tire EngineeringPro-E and AutoCAD

Model Generation and Conversion

Defense Standardization

Program

Configuration Management Support and Processes

Secondary Item Technical Procurement Package

Routing

Overview of PLE Tech Areas (Materials)

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Materials Application and Integration• Evaluation of lightweight materials &

technologies

• Design analysis and optimization for weight

reduction

Joining Technologies• Welding, Adhesives, Bolted Joints

• Develop requirements for acquisition

• Evaluate OEM welding process

• Weld crack analysis

• Resolve field issues

Additive Manufacturing• Direct Metal Deposition for reclaiming and

repairing of worn and damaged parts

• Support reverse engineering of parts

Coatings & Corrosion• Develop Corrosion Prevention Control

requirements for acquisition

• Evaluate, test, and develop solutions for

corrosion/coatings issues

• Evaluation of the fielded fleet for corrosion.

Materials Characterization & Failure

Analysis • Failure analysis and characterization of

Metallic and Non-metallic materials.

• Materials substitution/replacement

• Testing and qualification of elastomeric

materials for track and road wheels

Environmental Management• Prepare environmental documents (NEPA

and PESHE)

• Eliminate/reduce hazardous materials

• Execute environmental policy and regulations

Coatings & Corrosion

Design Changes for Corrosion Prevention

Coatings Selection

Joining Technologies

Environmental Assessments

Elimination of hazardous materials

Environmental

Failure Analysis of components

Materials Char. & Failure Analysis

Additive Manufacturing

Design Analysis for Weight Reduction

Materials Application & Integration

UNCLASSIFIED / DIST. A

Direct Metal Deposition for Worn PartsFriction Stir Welding

• Must rapidly deploy to whenever and

wherever our national interests are

threatened.

• Must train and equip the Total Army to

rapidly deploy, fight, sustain itself, and

win against complex state and non-state

threats in austere environments and

rugged terrain (The expeditionary

mindset).

• Must Focus S&T investment to maximize

the potential to use emerging and game-

changing technologies.

• Lighter combat vehicles with

increased lethality, mobility,

survivability

• Lighter, stronger, more fuel efficient

support systems

• Combat vehicle weight drives

length of the logistics tail

Light-weighting in the Future of Military Ground Vehicles

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LCVSTC

• In 2014, TARDEC led a cross-ARMY coordinated

strategy to reduce weight of ground combat

vehicles. (Dr. Hitchcock: executive champion)

• Achieving the Army’s goals for light-weight ground

vehicles

• material science

• non-material science

• Research is aligned to most promising material and

manufacturing opportunities but increased

investment in design optimization tools and

weight driven metrics will be required to meet

aggressive goals

Ground Fleet Must be Expeditionary, Scalable & Ready; a Modern Army

Light Weight Combat Vehicle Science & Technology Campaign (LCVSTC)

Weight reduction is a key enabler for an expeditionary force, but pure materials research is insufficient to meet Army’s aggressive weight targets

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Light Weight Vehicle Systems

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F Y17 F Y18 F Y19 F Y20 F Y21

2.3

1.7 4.9 5.4 5.4 5.64

1.3 2.2 1.2

5.3 7.2 6.7 5.4 5.6

0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4

5.8 7.4 7.0 5.6 6.0

M ILEST ON ES

FeMnAl

Operational Metrics

Ground Vehicle Loads

Additive Manufacturing

Friction Stir Welding

Advanced Light Weight

Ltwt (M at A ppl & Int)

Ltwt C mpn (M at A ppl & Int)

A VP T A

T o tal A rmy S&T [$ M ]

External F unding

T o tal Executable [$ M ]

5

3 4

4

5 6

56

4 5 6

3 64

4 5 6

Purpose:• All projects developed and executed in accordance with

governing Lightweight Combat Vehicle Science & Technology

Campaign (LCVSTC).

Products:• Validated alloy 10% lighter than RHA material

• Redesigned road arms, spindles, hubs, road wheels, track based

on road loads and new material development.

• Additive Manufacturing

• Part Repair: Repair light damage such as corrosion,

pitting, & wear

• Remanufacturing: Print replacement part using powder

bed system

• Retool: Utilize 3D sand printing to build molds for casted

parts

• Defined design loads for ground combat vehicles

• Design guides

• Generic vehicle design model for design optimization

• Friction Stir Weld (FSW) process and lap joint designs for joining

thick aluminums (7XXX) and Adv. High Strength Steels

(AHSS/RHA)

• Develop operational metrics for weight reduction in support of

goal 1.2 of the Army’s Lightweight Combat Vehicle Science &

Technology Campaign.

Payoff:• Inform TRADOC, PM/PEO, MCOE on technologies that have

impact on vehicle weight.

• Inform S&T, Acquisition, and Requirements development

decisions and investments.

Note: The Materials Application & Integration funding is being executed as 6 primary programs all done in support of the

Lightweight Combat Vehicle Science & Technology Campaign (LCVSTC).

LCVSTC

Schedule & FundingY15

Unclassified Distribution A - FOUO

AM Opportunities within Army

Repair Parts

There are opportunities for AM to impact all Army Systems, and at all stages of the lifecycle

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Enduring Interests: (Gaps)

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1. Lightweight advanced materials (e.g., metallic alloys, nano-composites, resin composites,

etc.) that meet very high strain rate loading performance

2. Lightweight joining techniques that meet very high strain rate loading performance

A. M&S methods/Techniques to allow a better understanding and evaluation of weld failure

B. M&S methods/Characterizing and developing critical design parameters for several

classes of adhesive materials

C. Dissimilar material joining techniques and M&S to identify the possibilities for military

applications

a. Material characterization for dissimilar material combinations that are achievable

through FSW is needed for proper M&S.

b. Microstructure modeling of solid state joining interface

3. Novel light-weighting materials, technologies or methodologies. Holistic vehicle light-

weighting techniques

a. Example, load-agnostic topology optimization methods

4. Additive Manufacturing (metallic and polymer composites)

a. “Qualification” is the step where the AM machine, material and processes are

validated as producing high quality. Need M&S methods to simulate the additive

process.

b. “Certification” is the step where the performance of the part is ensured.

Unclassified Distribution A - FOUO

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