Sponsor: Office of Naval Research, Department of Defense
This program involves the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), the University of California at Irvine (UCI), the University of Southern California (USC), and Boeing-Rocketdyne. The program objectives include (1) developing and manufacturing a novel class of ultra-high strength, light-weight, structural multi-scale materials (MSMs) that will revolutionize the design and fabrication of armored vehicle transport systems; (2) identifying the underlying technical issues that govern the fabrication and performance of these novel MSMs; (3) using this knowledge to design and manufacture novel multifunctional lightweight systems (MLS) that exhibit high survivability characteristics as required by the MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force) and the MEFFV (MAGTF Expeditionary Family of Fighting Vehicles); and (4) implementing technology transfer and cost effective fabrication of components that satisfy all of the required performance metrics. The research and development program will accomplish the four objectives listed above by building on recent technological breakthroughs in the fields of (1) bulk nanostructured materials (e.g., bulk alloys with grain sizes in the nm regime), (2) nanostructured composites, and (3) multi-scale systems. In addition, the program team will collaborate with the Army Research Laboratories (Aberdeen Proving Grounds) for ballistic testing and performance optimization.