TRADE STUDY OF A LIGHTWEIGHT, MULTI-MATERIAL MILITARY VEHICLE STRUCTURE

Vehicle light weighting is a priority for the U.S. Army. Due to increased survivability requirements, additional protection measures have been added to vehicles resulting in decreased fuel economy, decreased reliability and associated vehicle availability. The automotive industry response to new CAFE requirements as well as market pressures has not only created new light-weight materials and associated manufacturing technologies, but also a supply chain capable of meeting the military’ needs. This paper describes a project that is designed to test this hypothesis through the design, manufacture, and evaluation of a functional tactical demonstration vehicle with an affordable, weight optimized, multi-material substructure. The project is jointly funded by the National Automotive Center (NAC) of the United States Army, the Marine Corp, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS).