Advanced Underbody Blast Structures (AUBS)

This project investigates new design techniques and considerations for vehicle underbodies to enhance survivability capabilities, including individual component-level design attributes as well as the advanced manufacturing processes that are required to facilitate their integration to military ground vehicles. Individual component attribute characterizations are derived to determine how each contributes to maximize system performance. Attributes include stretcher plates, span reductions, and variable thickness hulls. Some performance-enhancing design attributes are not feasible without maturing currently emerging manufacturing processes. As such, this project will also investigate advanced manufactured hulls and underbodies to fully take advantage of performance-driven complex, lightweight designs that are not achievable through the traditional manufacturing methods. The focus of the study will look specifically at casting and forging of metallic solutions. Physical models are required to be fabricated and delivered for this project to verify results of new manufacturing processes and blast mitigation performance of new underbody concepts.