Affordable Lightweight "Integral" Composite Material Design for The EFS Module (1000-305)

Triton Systems Inc. proposes a lightweight, low-cost, composite material design to replace the current heavy aluminum system for the expeditionary fuel system (EFS) module. The composite EFS will be fire- retardant, corrosion resistant, and environmentally friendly. Triton will engineer and optimize the advanced thermoplastic or thermoset polymer matrix composite (PMC) material design for lightweight, rendering the EFS module man-portable. The lightweight EFS module will provide the Marine Corps with capability to efficiently conduct bulk liquid throughput and distribution on the battlefield. With its high strength-to-weight ratio, comparable stiffness, and energy absorption properties, engineered PMC offers significant potential for weight savings (>35%), over the current aluminum design. The composite EFS module will be fabricated using Triton's Controlled Resin Injection Molding Process (CRIMP), a modified version of Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Molding (VARIM) process, which is the most cost-effective integral manufacturing process. The process uses closed molds and is thereby environmentally friendly.