October 4, 2006

The College of Engineering was recently awarded $5.5 million for research in advanced composite materials for air and ground vehicles. The research will be managed by the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Command (TARDEC) and its National Automotive Center, both located in Warren, Michigan.

The College of Engineering project will advance the design of ground and air vehicles that are durable, lightweight, safe, environmentally friendly, and functionally appropriate for specified applications in the military. In particular, the Marine Corps needs a new generation of armored, lightweight, long-life ground vehicles for use in a variety of adverse conditions.

The research will be focused on using composite materials in innovative structural and shell components and will be implemented in the new Composite Vehicle Research Center. Faculty currently involved in the research project include: Gary Cloud, professor of mechanical engineering; Lawrence Drzal, University Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering and materials science and director of the Composite Materials and Structures Center; Dahsin Liu, professor of mechanical engineering; and Eann Patterson, professor and chairperson of mechanical engineering.

The college has been working for years in these research areas with TARDEC, which is involved with the research, development, acquisition, and sustainment of more critical Army materiel than any another research, development and engineering center, including over 3,000 fielded systems, 46 vehicles in production, and 14 vehicles in development. Through this work, TARDEC supports the members of our armed forces deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the globe and leads efforts to transform the Army to meet future demands.

TARDEC’s efforts in a number of critical technology areas, including the development of advanced vehicle protection systems such as armor and intelligent systems that can defend against improvised explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades, and other threats facing troops in Iraq are essential to the troops in the field today. Their development activities on advanced military vehicle engine technologies—including fuel cell and hybrid systems—can reduce fuel consumption and provide electrical power on demand anywhere on the battlefield. The development of advanced unmanned ground vehicles and robotics provides revolutionary capabilities while taking soldiers out of danger. These efforts to support operations are in addition to the large number of research and development programs that are supporting the development of the Army’s future combat systems.