Lightweight and Repairable Welded Thermoplastic Construction for LCAC Ramps(1000-425)

Triton Systems Inc. will develop a hybrid composite design and manufacturing process for the LCAC bow and stern ramps combining welded glass- and graphite-thermoplastic components with proprietary fire retardants to produce lightweight, corrosion-resistant, rugged, and repairable assemblies. Compared to the existing Aluminum ramps, the Triton thermoplastic structures will provide reduced life cycle costs, increased time between failures, and easy repair ability. The fabrication cost for these new composite ramps ranges from "comparable to" to "considerably less than" the existing ramps, depending upon weight and material tradeoffs. We can provide costs less than welded 5456 Al for glass-reinforced thermoplastics, or weights considerably less than aluminum for graphite-reinforced composites, but the appropriate combination of glass and graphite reinforcement requires tradeoffs against prioritized requirements during Phase I. Triton will evaluate, in concert with NAVSEA and Textron Marine & Land Systems, the appropriate correspondence between dollars and pounds saved from the existing design. Triton will team with both Textron for design support and St. Gobain/Vetrotex for development of balanced hybrid graphite- and glass-reinforced thermoplastic feedstocks. Subscale thermoplastic composite assemblies will be fabricated and tested to validate material and joining concepts and associated costs.