Development of enhanced active damping system for the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV)

To meet the Marines' need for high speed ship-to-shore and land mobility, the USMC Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is being equipped to provide a leap-ahead improvement over the capabilities of its predecessor, the 30-year old Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV). A critical component of improving the EFV's lethality and survivability is to greatly increase speeds across land. While the EFV's track system provides the low VCI that is a basis for good obstacle and soft soil negotiation, a high-performance suspension is critical for dealing with the shock and vibration associated with cross-country movement at speed. Using dynamic simulation and co-simulation, RMSV will evaluate advanced actively controlled suspension technologies to optimize the suspension performance of the EFV's rotary damper while minimizing cost and the necessity of modifications to the vehicle.