Low Cost Titanium Tow Bar

Production Products will design, develop, fabricate, and structurally evaluate a low-cost titanium alloy tow bar which will be significantly lighter, more durable and corrosion resistant, and cost competitive with the new M1 steel tow bar. We will be assisted in design of the tow bar and commercialization of the technology for the DoD, truck and automobile industry by our subcontractor Holland Hitch, who is the largest manufacturer of truck landing gear and coupling devices in the world. We will explore new low-cost titanium alloys like TIMETAL 62S which has very high specific tensile strength and modulus, outstanding fatigue strength, notch sensitivity, and corrosion resistance. We will evaluate alternate manufacturing processes, joining processes, post processing, material properties and cost. Trade-off studies will be conducted to select the most cost-effective solution meeting our 60% weight savings goal. We will perform lab testing of the selected material and process for the tow bar design. We will fabricate and structurally evaluate a prototype tow bar in Phase I. In Phase II we will perform final detail design of the low cost titanium tow bar, manufacture a number of tow bars for testing at the proving grounds, analyze the test data compared to strength analysis, and prepare an implementation/commercialization plan. The low cost titanium tow bar will provide the Army with a lightweight, durable, corrosion resistant tow bar at a competitive price. The use of low-cost titanium for automotive, truck and military applications is of substantial interest to the commercial industry. This effort would benefit both the automotive and truck industry, as well as the military market.