Composite Hull for an Amphibious Vehicle. Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a Composite Hull for a Tracked Amphibious Vehicle. Phase 1 and 2

摘要

In response to a Marine Corps request for a lightweight composite hull for amphibious vehicles, a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) hull for an M113A1 armored personnel carrier has been designed, fabricated, and tested under phases I and II of a David Taylor Research Center development program. The one-piece, molded hull of epoxy E-glass woven laminate is joined to a welded aluminum lower hull to provide a lightweight, buoyant vehicle, armored on the sides, front and rear by 4-inch square ceramic tiles protected by thin aluminum sheet. Thickness of the composite material is 0.75 inch at the sides and 1.25 inch at the roof. Design efforts were marked by a number of key developmental activities including structural design, stress analysis and material evaluation as well as fabrication of the hull. Keywords: Armor, Composites, Design, Development, Lightweight vehicle. (JES)