Use of Lightweight Materials in 21st Century Army Trucks (2003) / Chapter Skim
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1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Pages 13-26
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From page 13... ...
These trucks and trailers represent the logistical backbone of military operations. The light-truck fleet provides transportation for unit commanders, ambulances, and communications and weapons platforms.
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From page 14... ...
Second, because the Army has no dedicated truck operators, Army trucks are driven by many different drivers with many different driving styles. Third, most of the time, Army trucks are parked in unsheltered locations between missions.
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The age of the Army's existing fleet of trucks, known as the Legacy Force fleet, is resulting in problems in mobility for deployment, readiness, and availability to support combat operations. A recent analysis indicates that the effectiveness ratio of the total tactical wheeled vehicle fleet, now at 0.63, is expected to deteriorate to less than 0.4 by 2013.6 7 Army planners are faced with setting acceptable levels of economic useful life and operational readiness below those that would be achieved by a full and continuous modernization of the entire fleet.
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From page 16... ...
requirements. Strategy for Transforming the Army's Truck Fleet The Army has a three-pronged strategy for transforming its truck fleet from the current Legacy Force fleet to the future Objective Force fleet: 1.
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The Interim Force truck fleet will be composed of existing systems or systems that can meet the initial requirement with only slight modifications. As research for the Objective Force leads to major system development, integration, testing and evaluation, and production, these new technologies will be inserted into the Interim Force fleet, which will thereby evolve into the final state of the Objective Force fleet.
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,l2 The numerous advantages to reduced vehicle fuel consumption include the following: 1. Improved fuel efficiency would enhance platform performance.
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Reduced vehicle weight can lead to increased fuel efficiency and increased payload capacity. For heavy vehicles, it has been estimated that a reduction of 15 to 20 percent in vehicle weight is realistic.
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From page 20... ...
Reductions in the consumption of fuel, ammunition, water, food, and spare parts during an operation can therefore lead to an even greater reduction in the logistics burden. To meet the challenges of reducing the logistics footprint, the Army has developed an initiative entitled Revolution in Military Logistics (RML)
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From page 21... ...
However, corrosion and environmental damage remain a serious problem even in newer vehicles, such as the FM1V.22 This damage needs to be contained by maintenance activities, which in turn increase the cost of ownership. A report on the cost of corrosion for 5-ton Army trucks indicates that consideration of the cost of downtime due to corrosion treatment and maintenance further exacerbates the O&S cost profile.23 This study estimated that the total cost of corrosion for 5-ton Army trucks over a 4-year period was more than $31 million.
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From page 22... ...
1999. Enhanced Crash Protection for Occupants of Heavy Tactical Vehicles: Inflatable Restraint Systems and Crew Cab Delethalization Techniques.
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From page 23... ...
Department of Energy's (DOE's) Heavy Vehicle Technologies Program noted that sufficient emphasis had not been placed on "decreasing unloaded vehicle weight by innovative design incorporating high-strength, weight reduction materials."27 High-strength steel, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum metal matrix composites (MMCs)
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From page 24... ...
Although lightweight materials may initially result in higher vehicle procurement costs, significant potential exists for savings in terms of reduced fuel consumption, reduced maintenance, and reduced O&S costs. In addition, there are significant opportunities for the Army to adopt and exploit specialty and niche vehicle-manufacturing practices to achieve greater economy and affordability.
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From page 25... ...
This new paradigm should consider the entire life cycle of a product including manufacturing, transportation, treatment of hazardous by-products, operational use, maintenance, and disposal. The report concluded that computer modeling techniques should be developed to assist in the development and evaluation of product performance and reliability, materials synthesis and processing, and materials fabrication into components to facilitate materials design and selection.
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From page 26... ...
Chapter 4 presents the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee on Lightweight Materials for 21st Century Army Trucks.
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