Mitigation of Fuel Tank Explosions and Fires from IED Blasts

On any vehicle, one of the most vulnerable system components during an attack is the fuel tank, as fuel can serve as a fire/explosion hazard, creating an immediate threat to personnel. Loss of fuel from a damaged fuel tank can also prevent personnel from taking necessary evasive or offensive actions, thus putting them at additional risk in a potentially survivable attack. With the increased threat of attack from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), fuel tank protection has become increasingly critical in military operations. The objective of this STTR topic is to develop and demonstrate strategies for mitigating fuel tank explosions from IED blasts. Specifically, this proposal emphasizes the integration of lightweight, self-sealing, ballistic tolerant fuel tank technologies to develop an IED-resistant fuel tank that can be used on a broad base of military vehicles. The resultant tank design will absorb the IED blast impact and fragmentation in manner that contains the fuel so the fire/explosion hazard is eliminated.