Lightweight Materials for Amphibious Combat Vehicles

CPS Technologies Corp. (CPS) will develop lightweighting solutions for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). CPS will use its expertise in advanced materials and metal matrix composites to examine the designs of the current ACV variants and quantitatively determine which parts are the most viable components for lightweighting. CPS will create a decision matrix to evaluate components based on weight, volume, ease of replacement, mission criticality, and corrosion resistance among other factors based on available data. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) will be completed on baseline models for each selected component and directly compared to FEA of updated designs to ensure sustained or improved performance. Updated designs will consider both replacing traditional materials with advanced materials and composites and subsequent redesign in order to save a minimum of 10% weight per component. CPS will reduce the overall weight of the ACV by a minimum of 2000 lbs., at a cost increase of less than $20 per lb., ensuring corrosion resistance and increasing overall performance. CPS has previously developed lightweight defense vehicle components using Aluminum-based metal-matrix composites (MMCs), including structural components and armor. We will leverage this experience to provide a lightweight, more capable amphibious combat vehicle.