By the year 323 BC, Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, had spent eight years moving his massive military force to victories across 11,250 miles. His victories were won through superior logistics, achieved by transporting troops and supplies on ships able to carry 400 tons, rather than horses carrying 200 pounds and requiring 20 pounds of food daily. Addressing similar weight and transportation issues, the U.S. military is developing a 'logistical footprint' designed to reduce the vehicle weight of its ground forces. Because 70% of combat vehicle weight is composed of structure and armor, designers are working with metals manufacturers to develop lighter-weight solutions. Armoring concepts have been rapidly changing since 1999, when the U.S. Department of Defense unveiled its Future Combat Systems (FCS). The new systems will transform military logistics through highly responsive land, air, and sea operations into a coordinated offensive. The United Kingdom will achieve similar types of 'networkcentric' logistics through its program called Future Rapid Effects System.To reach weight reduction goals, armor designers are turning to metals with higher mass efficiencies, represented by Em. The value of this number serves as a way to compare the mass efficiency of armoring materials, with rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) defined as 1. For example, dual hardness steel has an Em value of 1.78, enabling it to reduce armor weight by 56% over RHA. The high Em value makes dual hardness steel ideal for armored light tactical vehicles and a good candidate for armor on support and supply vehicles.To reach weight reduction goals, armor designers are turning to metals with higher mass efficiencies, represented by Em. The value of this number serves as a way to compare the mass efficiency of armoring materials, with rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) defined as 1. For example, dual hardness steel has an Em value of 1.78, enabling it to reduce armor weight by 56% over RHA. The high Em value makes dual hardness steel ideal for armored light tactical vehicles and a good candidate for armor on support and supply vehicles.Titanium rammed graphite castings are made in graphite molds. They consist of graphite powder, water, pitch syrup, and starch, which act as binders. Typically, the maximum size of a titanium pour is 1800 pounds, although larger castings have been produced by utilizing multiple pours and molds. Dimensionally, 50 inches in diameter by 72 inches is the maximum single pour. Walls as thin as 0.1875 mdies have been produced by the rammed graphite method.The K12 dual hard steel is currently protecting up-armored tactical vehicles in the Iraq theater, and may provide armor to support and supply vehicles, helping reduce weightby 50% overRHA steel. K12 dual hard steel tile forms are also available for transportable add-on-armor. Mass-efficient structural armor can be fabricated with AL 521 specialty high hard steel. The armor, with ballistic values greater than RHA, is typically placed on the upper hulls of various combat and support vehicles. AL 521 specialty high hard steel is also available in enhanced form for add-on-armor applications.


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    Title :

    Lighter armor for future ground vehicles


    Additional title:

    Leichtere Panzerungen für zukünftige Militärfahrzeuge


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2007


    Size :

    3 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 14 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English





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