Steve Andersen wasn’t surprised that Amtech Corporation’s newest Helmet Hardtop® Short Cargo Bed Cover attracted a lot of attention at the 2007 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition in October. “The Air Force, Army, and Marines were all interested in it,” Andersen says.

For Andersen, CCM Assistant Director for Military Programs, the cargo bed cover was already a success story in many ways:  it exemplified CCM’s ability to bring together partners with complementary capabilities, demonstrated the Center’s ability to respond quickly to sponsor needs, and capitalized on the organization’s wide range of in-house expertise and facilities. 

But, perhaps most important, it illustrated the strong base provided by years of high-quality basic research conducted at the Center. 

“AMTECH contacted us in July for help in finalizing the design of a lightweight, non-armored shelter for the cargo area of the HUMVEE top and building two prototypes by the end of August,” Andersen says, “We could never have met the needs of this project without the foundation provided by all of the processing work we had done in earlier programs at the Center.

The CCM team went on to partner in the design effort, develop preform and infusion schemes for the Z-PLEX material, and conduct process trials.  “We spent a lot of time and effort in developing an understanding of the infusion characteristics of the material,” Andersen says. “But, again, the effort effectively leveraged previous programs.”

“We had already worked with the material on a hood and a transmission shipping container, and Dirk Heider [CCM Assistant Director for Technology] had looked at such issues as permeability, compaction, outgassing, and debulking, so we were able to develop a preform architecture, a flat pattern, and a ply scheme pretty quickly.”

With the technology successfully transitioned to AMTECH, the two prototypes—one to be fitted up and tested and the other to be exhibited at the AUSA meeting—were fabricated by the company’s deadline.

“We’re now going forward with AMTECH and 3TEX on a contract with TACOM and TARDEC to develop a structural armored shelter for the back of the latest generation of HUMVEEs,” says Andersen. “What we’ve learned over the past three decades is that every project we carry out builds on the previous ones—in terms of not only the science and technology but also the collaborations and interactions we establish.”

“CCM’s Industrial Consortium helps develop products that meet the Army’s current and future requirements, utilizing leading-edge technologies like Z-PLEX and 3WEAVE®,” says Bob Coffelt, VP of Armor and Protective Systems at 3TEX.  “Working with CCM through the consortium has enabled 3TEX to create strategic partnerships to develop products that meet the critical needs of our military. Amtech’s shelter is a perfect example of this type of collaboration, where CCM’s background research can be applied to rapidly insert technology to meet both current and future military and commercial needs.”

CCM Students Win at SAMPE “Student Nite”

By Diane Kukich

Amanda Lim and Josiah Hughes came home from the Baltimore-Washington SAMPE “Student Nite” competition with first-place awards.  The event was held on February 13, 2008, at the University of Maryland–College Park.

Lim took first in the paper competition with her entry “Implementing the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Technique for Viscous Fluid Evaluation,” while Hughes won the poster event for “Pin Bearing Design Testing.”  

They each received a cash prize of $500, and Lim qualified for a free trip to SAMPE ’08, the world’s largest advanced materials conference and exhibition.  To be held from May 18–22, the meeting focuses on Material and Process Innovations: Changing our World.

In addition to winning the paper and poster competitions this year, both Lim and Hughes have been active in SAMPE activities. Lim is President of the UD student chapter, and she has been proactive in organizing tours and other educational and social events for students interested in materials science and engineering.  Hughes is Treasurer of the campus chapter and has played a leadership role in the SAMPE-UD Bridge Building Team.

“Amanda and Josiah are continuing a tradition of excellence among CCM affiliated students,” says Center Director Jack Gillespie. “We’re really proud of their technical accomplishments as well as the service contributions they’ve made to SAMPE and the Center.”

Tsu-Wei Chou
Pierre S. du Pont Chair of Engineering

Chou Elected Fellow of TMS

Tsu-Wei Chou, Pierre S. du Pont Chair of Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) for his influential contributions to the mechanics of nanocomposites and anisotropic heterogeneous materials.

Chou received the award at the 137th TMS annual meeting and exhibition, held from March 9-14, 2008, in New Orleans.

The honorary class of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed by the society, and was established in 1962. Fellows are recognized as eminent authorities and contributors within the broad field of materials; the maximum number of living fellows is 100.

Chou joined the University of Delaware faculty in 1969 and co-taught the first composites course here with Prof. Jack Vinson. 

Click here to read the full story in UDaily