bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE TARDEC ADVANCED SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CAPABILITY (ASEC)
FRAMEWORK
Authors: Mendonza Pradeep , Fitch John
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The Advanced Systems Engineering Capability (ASEC) developed by TARDEC Systems
Engineering & Integration (SE&I) group is an integrated Systems
Engineering (SE) knowledge creation and capture framework built on a decision
centric method, high quality data visualizations, intuitive navigation and
systems information management that enable continuous data traceability, real
time collaboration and knowledge pattern leverage to support the entire system
lifecycle.

The ASEC framework has evolved significantly over the past year. New tools have
been added for capturing lessons learned from warfighter experiences in theater
and for analyzing and validating the needs of ground domains platforms/systems.
These stakeholder needs analysis tools may be used to refine the ground domain
capability model (functional decomposition) and to help identify opportunities
for common solutions across platforms.

On-going development of ASEC will migrate all tools to a single virtual desktop
to promote a more seamless and consistent user experience. The capability to
read data stored in remote DOORS databases will be added to enable broader
collaboration across RDECOM and the Army.

This paper will provide an overview of the current state of the Advanced Systems
Engineering Capability (ASEC) framework, highlight the growth and diversity of
the ASEC user base and its applications to the Army/DoD and explain the roadmap
for continued ASEC development and deployment.
TAILORING OF FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA) TO DOD SYSTEMS
AND PROGRAMS AS AN EFFECTIVE RISK IDENTIFICATION AND PRIORITIZATION
TOOL
Authors: Rizk Kadry
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

In light of the cancellation of MIL-STD 1629A on 4 August 1998 with no
superseding document, this paper outlines the tailoring of an effective industry
tool for risk identification and prioritization that will lead to more reliable
weapon systems for the warfighter, with reduced total ownership costs. The
canceled MIL-STD 1629A used Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis
(FMECA) which is similar in method to FMEA but with an added factor called
Criticality for prioritization. In FMEA approach, criticality is addressed by
the Risk Priority Number (RPN) and other ways to prioritize risk beyond those
single criteria.

Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), Systems
Engineering Group (SEG) has tailored the FMEA’s Severity, Occurrence,
and Detection ranking tables to suit DOD Systems by developing an additional
scale (1 – 5) for severity and occurrence parameters for the existing
industry scale (1 – 10). This will facilitate transitioning risks to the
DOD risk ranking scale, and for transitioning to the army owned Risk Recon risk
management software for mitigation plan implementation and tracking.

TARDEC SEG is also involved in an Army working group for the development of a new
guidance/handbook for FMEA/FMECA for the Army to replace the cancelled MIL-STD
1629A.

This paper also outlines a systematic process used to evaluate and manage
contractors’ FMEAs, and provides a recommended FMEA contract language
for Technology Development (TD) and Acquisition programs for the sharing of
contractors’ FMEAs with Government for review of quality and
completeness..
OMNI-DIRECTIONAL AUTONOMOUS GUIDED VEHICLE (AGV) WITH WIRELESS NAVIGATION
Authors: Cheok Ka C , Radovnikovich Micho , Fleck Paul , Hallenbeck Kevin , Grzebyk Steve , Vanneste Jerry , Ludwig Wolfgang , Garner Robert
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Automatic guided vehicles (AGV) have made big inroads in the automation of
assembly plants and warehouse operations. There are thousands of AGV units in
operation at OEM supplier and service facilities worldwide in virtually every
major manufacturing and distribution sector. Although today’s AGV
systems can be reconfigured and adapted to meet changes in operation and need,
their adaptability is often limited because of inadequacies in current systems.
This paper describes a wireless navigated (WN) omni-directional (OD) autonomous
guided vehicle (AGV) that incorporates three technical innovations that address
the shortfalls. The AGV features consist of: 1) A newly developed integrated
wireless navigation technology to allow rapid rerouting of navigation pathways;
2) Omnidirectional wheels to move independently in different directions; 3)
Modular space frame construction to conveniently resize and reshape the AGV
platform. It includes an overview of the AGVs technical features and how the
flexibility and agility can be adapted to fit military and commercial
application. The AGV is being evaluated as a mobile work station platform and a
precise material handling robot.
MODEL-BASED PRODUCT LINE ENGINEERING – ENABLING PRODUCT FAMILIES WITH VARIANTS
Authors: Hause Matthew
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Product Lines are a group of related products manufactured or produced within or
between collaborating organizations. To effectively manage a product line, one
needs to understand both the similarities and differences between the different
products and optimize the development lifecycle to leverage the similarities,
and concentrate development on the differences. ISO 26550:2013 Software &
Systems Engineering – Reference Model for Product Line Management &
Engineering provides a standard for defining these similarities and differences
as well as the choices between them. Model-Based Systems and Software
Engineering (MBSE) using the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) and the Unified
Modeling Language (UML) provide a means of modeling systems and software.
Bringing the two together allows users to model product lines in industry
standard formats. Combining these with an execution engine means that product
models can be created for specific products, whilst maintaining the original
product line model. This provides significant ROI for ground vehicles.
HVDC POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONVERSION COMPONENTS FOR NEXT GENERATION VEHICLES
Authors: Pilvelait Bruce , Cameron Ben , Rentel Carlos , Fogg David , Finger Bill
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Electrical power system upgrades needed to fulfill mission objectives for next
generation vehicles will require technology advances such as greater power
density, increased functionality, and higher operating temperature. To meet
these requirements, electrical power demands will exceed the capabilities of
currently available low voltage power systems. High Voltage DC (HVDC) systems,
e.g., 270 – 800 VDC, are being considered to meet next generation
vehicle requirements, but these electrical power systems have the potential for
extremely large fault currents in case of electrical equipment failure. Improved
battery safety and intelligent Solid State Circuit Breakers (SSCB) and Solid
State Power Controllers (SSPC) are needed to improve mission effectiveness,
reliability, and personnel safety of next generation military and commercial
ground, air, and sea vehicle electrical power systems. In this paper we present
three enabling technologies developed by Creare: (1) an intelligent Battery
Management System (BMS); (2) a fast-acting Silicon Carbide (SiC) SSCB; and (3)
an intelligent SiC SSPC. All three technologies integrate into existing vehicle
communications systems via CAN bus to support emerging system level management
tools and power system architectures. Modularity and integration with existing
and evolving system architectures is achievable through firmware upgrades, e.g.,
to support Stryker modernization, VICTORY, JLTV, and GCV architectures. The
flexibility of these three key technologies provides advanced capabilities for a
variety of applications including military and commercial ground, air, and sea
vehicles.
INTEGRATED POWER GENERATION FOR DIRECTED ENERGY
APPLICATIONS
Authors: Pesch Kurt I. , Boice Kevin J.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The electrical power demands of military ground vehicles have grown rapidly over
the years. New sensors, computers, communications equipment, and weapon systems
demand increased levels of electrical power to employ their capabilities. To
provide our War-fighters access to these new technologies, vehicle power
initiatives are keeping pace by exploring efficient integrated next-generation
mobile power solutions.

TARDEC’s Advanced Propulsion with Onboard Vehicle Power (APOP) program
and explorations into on-platform Directed Energy based systems demonstrate an
ideal coupling of compliment technologies.

The advanced warfare capabilities of the future can be brought to our Warfighters
through purposeful research and investment to ensure timely readiness. The
TARDEC/GDLS APOP power generation effort is one such collaborative effort, and
represents a potential breakthrough in next-generation power for military ground
vehicles.
REDUCING STRUCTURAL WEIGHT AND INCREASING PROTECTION IN SIMPLE
STRUCTURES SUBJECTED TO BLAST LOADS
Authors: Jiang Weiran , Vlahopoulos Nickolas , Castanier Matthew P. , Thyagarajan Ravi , Mohammad Syed
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

One of the main thrusts in current Army Science & Technology (S&T)
activities is the development of occupant-centric vehicle structures that make
the operation of the vehicle both comfortable and safe for the soldiers.
Furthermore, a lighter weight vehicle structure is an enabling factor for faster
transport, higher mobility, greater fuel conservation, higher payload, and a
reduced ground footprint of supporting forces. Therefore, a key design challenge
is to develop lightweight occupant-centric vehicle structures that can provide
high levels of protection against explosive threats. In this paper, concepts for
using materials, damping and other mechanisms to design structures with unique
dynamic characteristics for mitigating blast loads are investigated. The Dynamic
Response Index (DRI) metric [1] is
employed as an occupant injury measure for determining the effectiveness of the
each blast mitigation configuration that is considered. A model of the TARDEC
Generic V-Hull structure comprises the vehicle considered in this study. The
material properties and the configuration of the inner bulkheads that connect
the outer V-shaped bottom with the inner floor are used as design parameters for
reducing the DRI at a typical occupant location. In this particular example, it
is demonstrated that the weight of the structure can be reduced by about
~12% and simultaneously, the DRI can be reduced by ~24%. This is
achieved by creating an energy absorbing/decoupling mechanism between the outer
hull, the inner floor, and the single degree of freedom upper torso system.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR MILITARY TRACK BUSHING ACCELERATED TESTING AND
EVALUATION
Authors: Gruenberg Scott , Bradley Scott , Gentner Stephen , Ostberg David
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper identifies the failure modes of military track bushings during lab
testing and looks at correlation of lab tests failure modes with those found in
field testing failures. In an effort to understand and duplicate the failures
seen in the field, a track shoe was modified to measure the displacement
(magnitude and direction) of the bushing pin relative to the inside diameter of
the track shoe bore. Utilizing Hall Effect Technology and a small data
acquisition system, test course data was recorded and analyzed. A specially
designed bushing test machine, capable of testing the entire track pitch, was
also designed and built in order to duplicate the field failure in a laboratory
environment.
AMAS TECHNICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND CAPABILITY ADVANCEMENT
DEMONSTRATIONS
Authors: Schoenherr Edward , Theisen Bernard , Williams Kenneth , Simon David
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper will describe the demonstrations that the Autonomous Mobility
Appliqué System (AMAS) program has completed to date. First providing a
high level technical overview of the system to understand how the system and its
subsystems work. The paper will then describe the demonstrations and a summary
of the results of the demonstrations.
USING PUBLIC COMPETITIONS TO HELP DESIGN MILITARY GROUND VEHICLES:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DARPA FANG PROGRAM
Authors: Luskin Paul
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

In January 2013, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) embarked
on a public design competition for a heavy, amphibious infantry fighting
vehicle, using new design and simulation tools intended to revolutionize the
product development process for future complex defense systems. A $1-million
prize was awarded for the winning design, which was ultimately built, tested,
and evaluated. This paper will provide an overview of the planning and execution
of the FANG Mobility/Drivetrain Challenge, insight into lessons learned for
future ground vehicle development, as well as for other programs and
organizations that are considering using prize competitions.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FLOORING SYSTEM FOR INJURY MITIGATION AND
STRUCTURAL ISOLATION IN UNDERBELLY BLAST EVENTS
Authors: Kwiatkowski Kevin , Watson Christopher , Korson Chantelle
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The CAMEL program focused on force protection and demonstrated the possibility to
protect occupants through higher underbelly blast levels than normally or
previously observed. This required a holistic vehicle systems engineering
approach to mitigate blast injuries that both optimized existing systems as well
as developed new technologies. The result was zero injury to all occupants as
assessed by 5th, 50th, and 95th percentile
encumbered ATDs during survivability blast testing. Twelve full scale
objective-level blast tests were performed on over seventy fully-instrumented
ATDs without a single lower-extremity injury. The lower limb protection was
provided by an isolated floor system. This system was developed from the
ground-up and occupant-out during the CAMEL program. This paper chronicles the
CAMEL floor system’s creation, design, testing, and development
process.
DESIGN OVERVIEW OF THE R350C ROTARY DIESEL ENGINE
SERIES
Authors: Roodvoets Levi , Yancone John , Biske Andy
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper explains the major features and development results of the R350C
rotary diesel engine series recently developed by Combat Propulsion Systems
division of L-3 Technologies. This new rotary diesel engine series has been
engineered specifically to operate on military grade fuels (JP-8/F24) and
perform in power dense military applications, including auxiliary power units,
hybrid propulsion and lightweight primary propulsion for combat vehicles. The
rotary design allows for single, dual and triple rotor engine configurations
with increasing power and power density ratings with each added rotor.
SIMPLIFIED APPROACH ON DEVELOPING PREVENTIVE AND CORRECTIVE
MAINTENANCE STRATEGY
Authors: Gugaratshan Guga , Srinivasan Syamala , Harrison Dean , Castanier Matthew P. , Wade Jody D. , Jones J. Isaac “Ike”
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Developing preventive and corrective maintenance strategies for military ground
vehicles based on asset readiness and lifecycle cost is a challenge due to the
complexity associated with the collection and storage of maintenance and failure
data in the operational environment. Many of the past reliability centered
maintenance efforts have encountered significant challenges in collecting,
identifying, accessing, cleaning, enhancing, fusing, and analyzing the data.
Another challenge is creating and maintaining complex simulation models that
require significant effort and time to produce business value. The work
described in this paper is the result of a collaborative effort among multiple
US Army organizations to simplify the approach in order to gain valuable insight
from the existing data. It is shown how the resulting process can be used to
develop simplified models to optimize corrective and preventive maintenance
programs. Details are provided on how to work with the existing data sources in
order to develop and implement methods at the program management level. The
simulation results demonstrate the benefits for the maintenance teams, logistics
teams, operation teams, fleet planners, and warfighters.
Saft’s Xcelion 6T® 28V Lithium Ion
Batteries
Authors: Ferguson Scott , Brenner Candice , Cox Jasmine , Hensley Keith , Ruth Nicole
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Saft has continued to develop lithium-ion replacement batteries for the
traditional lead-acid batteries for use in military vehicles. Saft’s 24
volt Xcelion 6T® delivers power at high rate that surpasses
the delivered capacity of two lead-acid batteries. The battery design is
tailored to support high rates, even at extreme cold temperatures, to support
the mission needs for silent watch and starting for military vehicles. An
additional design variant is now available, the Xcelion 6T Energy, to provide
30% more energy while still delivering excellent cranking capability. Both
products are industrialized and in use in large new vehicle programs.
Additionally, development continues on a MIL-PRF-32565 compliant version with
release to market expected in 2019.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT, LEAK PROOF PLENUM SEAL FOR THE M1 ABRAMS
ENGINE INLET
Authors: Tarnowski Steve , Pennala Steve , Goryca Mary , Kauth Kevin
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The M1 Abrams will be the primary heavy combat vehicle for the US military for
years to come. Improvements to the M1 that increase reliability and reduce
maintenance will have a multi-year payback. The M1 engine intake plenum seal
couples the air intake plenum to the turbine inlet, and has opportunities for
improvement to reduce leakage and intake of FOD (foreign object debris) into the
engine, which causes damage and premature wear of expensive components.
COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH EFFICIENCY ROTARY ENGINE FOR GENERATOR,
APU, AND RANGE-EXTENDED ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Authors: Shkolnik Alexander , Shkolnik Nikolay , Scarcella Jeff , Nickerson Mark , Kopache Alexander , Becker Kyle , Bergin Michael , Spitulnik Adam , Equiluz Rodrigo , Fagan Ryan , Ahmed Saad , Donnelly Sean , Costa Tiago
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Today automotive gasoline combustion engine’s are relatively inefficient.
Diesel engines are more efficient, but are large and heavy, and are typically
not used for hybrid electric applications. This paper presents an optimized
thermodynamic cycle dubbed the High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle, with 75%
thermodynamic efficiency potential, as well as a new rotary ‘X’
type engine architecture that embodies this cycle efficiently and compactly,
while addressing the challenges of prior Wankel-type rotary engines, including
sealing, lubrication, durability, and emissions. Preliminary results of
development of a Compression Ignited 30 kW X engine targeting 45% (peak) brake
thermal efficiency are presented. This engine aims to fit in a 10” box,
with a weight of less than 40 lb, and could efficiently charge a battery to
extend the range of an electric vehicle.
RAMSIS - DIGITAL HUMAN MODELING FOR OPTIMIZED SAFETY AND
SURVIVABILITY OF THE WARFIGHTER
Authors: Kuebler Thorsten , Wirsching Hans , Barnes David
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The study describes the development of a plug-in module of the realistic 3D
Digital Human Modeling (DHM) tool RAMSIS that is used to optimize product
development of military vehicle systems. The use of DHM in product development
has been established for years. DHM for the development of military vehicles
requires not only the representation of the vehicle occupants, but also the
representation of equipment and simulation of the impact of such equipment on
the Warfighter. To simulate occupants in military vehicles, whether land or air
based, realistically, equipment must become an integral part of the extended
human model. Simply attaching CAD-geometry to one manikin’s element is
not sufficient. Equipment size needs to be scalable with respect to
anthropometry, impact on joint mobility needs to be considered with respect to
anatomy. Those aspects must be integrated in posture prediction algorithms to
generate objective, reliable and reproducible results to help design engineers
making better products. Products that are safe, comfortable and appropriate for
the Warfighter.
Thermographic Detection of Near and Far-Side
Corrosion
Authors: Shepard Steven , Beemer Maria
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Active thermography has been demonstrated to be an effective tool for detection
of near-surface corrosion hidden under paint, as well as hidden material loss
due to corrosion. Compared to established point inspection techniques (e.g.
ultrasound, eddy current), thermography offers fast, wide-area inspection of
flat or curved surfaces that does not require direct contact or coupling. In its
simplest form, it can be used to perform qualitative inspection using a heat gun
or lamp and an uncooled IR camera. Recent developments in thermographic signal
processing, coupled with improved IR camera and thermal excitation technology
have resulted in significant advances in resolution, sensitivity and probability
of detection of near and far-surface corrosion, and the ability to perform
quantitative characterization of corrosion.
Investigation of Hot Cracking Phenomena in Light-Weight Armor Steel
Based on the FeMnAl-C Alloy System
Authors: Evans William , Ramirez Antonio J. , Sebeck Katherine
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The US Army TARDEC has been researching an alternative to current armor steel
that is both tough, and light-weight. The studied alloy is based on the
Fe-Mn-Al-C system. This study was conducted to investigate and quantify this
alloy’s susceptibility to hot cracking phenomena related to casting and
welding. Very little research has been done on general weldability of this alloy
system, so the results of these tests will be compared to other high Mn steels,
and alloys that have undergone cast pin tear testing. Testing will be conducted
utilizing button melting tests, autogenous spot welds, and cast pin tear
testing. The cast pin tear testing was conducted to measure this alloys
susceptibility to weld solidification cracking. The spot welds were used to
quantify the susceptibility of the weld heat affected zone (HAZ) to liquation
cracking, as well as to observe the solidification structure of the fusion zone.
The testing results showed that the FeMnAl system in its current form has a
susceptibility to both solidification cracking and to HAZ liquation
cracking.
IMPROVED RELATIVE POSITIONING FOR PATH FOLLOWING IN AUTONOMOUS
CONVOYS
Authors: Tabb Thomas T. , Bevly David , Martin Scott , Ratowski Jeff
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This work presents the development of an algorithm to incorporate measurements
from multiple antennas to improve the relative position solution between
convoying vehicles provided by Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements. The
technique presented, incorporates measurements from multiple antennas with a
known fixed-baseline between a base antenna and auxiliary antenna on a base
vehicle, and a rover antenna on a rover vehicle. The additional information
provided by the fixed-baseline distance is used to provide an additional
measurement with low uncertainty for improved integer ambiguity resolution
between the base and auxiliary receiver, which in turn, provides additional
measurements for determining the integer ambiguity difference between the base
and rover receivers for the computation of a high-precision relative position
vector (HPRPV).
A FAST AND SAFE QUASI-OPTIMAL CHARGING STRATEGY FOR LI-ION BATTERIES
Authors: Das Manohar , Jarid Saad , Xu Meng , Wang Xia
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a fast and safe quasi-optimal multistage constant current
(MCC) charge pattern optimization strategy for Li-ion batteries. It is based on
an integrated electro-thermal model that combines an electrical equivalent
circuit (EEC) battery model with a thermal battery model. The EEC model is used
to predict the battery’s terminal voltage continuously as charging
progresses, while its temperature rise is also estimated continuously by
employing the thermal model. This integrated electro-thermal battery model is
utilized to search for an optimal MCC charge pattern that charges the battery in
minimum time, while simultaneously limiting its temperature rise to a
user-specified level. The search for the optimal charge pattern is carried out
on a stage-by-stage basis by using a single-variable optimal search strategy
that can be easily implemented on a battery management system. The paper also
includes some simulation results obtained from an integrated electro-thermal
model of a commercially available medium-power Li-ion cell. These results
indicate that the proposed quasi-optimal MCC charging strategy performs as
expected and can serve as a useful, easy-to-implement alternative to existing
computationally intensive optimal charge strategies proposed by other
researchers.

Citation: M, Das. S, Jarid. M, Xu. X, Wang, “A Fast and Safe
Quasi-Optimal Charging Strategy for Li-ion Batteries”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 13-15, 2019.
SEATBELT-MOUNTED AIRBAG DESIGN FOR OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN TACTICAL VEHICLES DURING FRONTAL CRASHES
Authors: Hu Jingwen , Orton Nichole , Boyle Kyle , Ashok Nikhil , Klima Julie , Staniak Celia , Scherer Risa , Reed Matthew
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Seatbelt-mounted airbag is a new type of occupant restraint system,
in which the airbag is integrated into the seatbelt and hence can be easily and
quickly implemented into the current tactical vehicles without significant
vehicle structure or interior changes. The objective of this study was to
develop, optimize, and demonstrate seatbelt-mounted airbag designs for reducing
occupant injury risks in a light tactical vehicle under frontal crashes. A total
of 19 sled tests and over 30 FE simulations were performed to find the optimal
seatbelt-mounted airbag designs for protecting occupants represented by three
sizes of ATDs and two military gear configurations. Various lap-belt-mounted
airbag and shoulder-belt-mounted airbag designs were evaluated for driver,
front-seat passenger, and rear-seat passenger locations in a tactical vehicle.
The test and simulation results showed that the optimized designs substantially
reduced the occupant injury risks to the head, neck, and chest compared to the
baseline tests. This study demonstrated the benefit of adding a properly
designed seatbelt-mounted airbag to improve the occupant protection in frontal
crashes under an environment representing a light tactical vehicle.

Citation: J. Hu, N. Orton, K. Boyle, N. Ashok, J. Klima, C. Staniak,
R. Scherer, M. Reed “Seatbelt-Mounted Airbag Design For Occupant
Protection In Tactical Vehicles During Frontal Crashes”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 13-15, 2019.
Amphibious Vehicle Water Egress Modeling and Simulation Using CFD and Wong’s Methodology
Authors: Tison Nathan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

A significant challenge for wheel- and propeller-driven amphibious vehicles
during swimming operations involves the egress from bodies of water. The vehicle
needs to be able to swim to the ramp of a vessel, and then propel itself up the
ramp using water propellers and wheels simultaneously. To accurately predict the
ability of the vehicle to climb the ramp, it is important to accurately model:
(1) the interaction of the flow through the propellers, around the vehicle hull,
and away from the ramp; (2) the wheel / ramp interaction; (3) the suspension
system spring, damping, and motion-limiting forces, tire deformation and loading
characteristics, and wheel and hull motions (both translation and rotation); and
(4) the drivetrain power distribution to the wheels. Detailed modeling and
simulation of these physics and processes -- such as the wheel, hull, and
suspension system motions and force interactions, propeller rotation and
resulting flow, etc. -- would be highly computationally expensive. Therefore, to
make the water egress problem more tractable to solve, various modeling
simplifications -- such as the use of an actuator disc methodology for propeller
flow modeling and Wong's terramechanics methodology for the wheel / ramp
interaction -- were introduced to facilitate rapid simulation. The integration
of a customized six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) body dynamics solver with a
multiphase Volume of Fluid (VOF) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver
(STAR-CCM+) resulted in an efficient, robust, comprehensive methodology for
modeling and simulating amphibious vehicle water egress for various
environmental and vehicle characteristics and operational conditions.

Citation: N. Tison, “Wheeled Amphibious Vehicle Water Egress
M&S Using CFD and Simplified Vehicle Modeling Methodologies”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 13-15, 2019.
Envisioning Next-Generation Model-Based Agile
Engineering
Authors: Mukai George , Struckman Conrad , Vriesenga Mark
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The complexity of modern platform systems (e.g., commercial aircraft, spacecraft,
and military vehicles) exponentially increases as we add new and advanced
capabilities needed to sustain market and military leadership. Modern aircraft
are aerodynamically unstable and controlled by hundreds of connected
microcontrollers. Spacecraft dock at the International Space Station using
artificial intelligence controllers, where humans are the 'backup system.'
Military systems use cyber-assured autonomy and cyber-assured fire control on
the battlefield. In each of these cases, new and significant engineering
challenges arise.

Complexity Management - System design under the 'constraint of
complexity' frequently leads to product cost overruns and delivery
delays.

Dynamic over Statics - Current Model-Based Engineering (MBE) tools
and techniques perform well for representing low-complexity systems
with low interaction among design elements. However, they do not
scale well for representing complex systems having high interaction
among design elements.

Artifact Integrity - Most MBE methodologies do not appropriately
integrate artifacts engineering disciplines (e.g., systems
engineering, hardware engineering, software engineering, and test
engineering) into an authoritative source of truth. Discrepancies in
design artifacts may lead to undetected design flaws that leak into
product manufacturing and end-user
operations.

Our analysis of MBE successes and failures from 2000 to 2020 suggests that we are
at an inflection point where future design challenges may exceed the design
capabilities provided by today's MBE techniques.

This paper describes operational challenges and associated requirements leading
to the development of BAE Systems' Model-Based Agile Engineering (MBAE)
methodology. We present five innovations that provide the underpinnings for our
MBAE implementation framework. We conclude with a brief description of a recent
success story at BAE Systems and recommendations for the next steps in MBAE
capability development.
TERRAMECHANICS IMPACT OF THE WHEEL NORMAL REACTION ON MOBILITY AND STEERABILITY MARGINS
Authors: Paldan Jesse , Vantsevich Vladimir , Gorsich David , Goryca Jill , Singh Amandeep , Moradi Lee
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The normal reaction force in the tire-soil patch is a continuously changing wheel
parameter. When a vehicle moves over uneven ground, motion in the
vehicle’s sprung and unsprung masses produce dynamic shifts in the
magnitude of the load transmitted to the ground. With the damping force
controlled for better ride quality, tight constraining of the sprung mass motion
may lead to significant dynamic changes of the normal load. At excessive loads,
the wheel can dig into the soil. Considerably reduced loads can negatively
impact vehicle steerability and diminish traction performance. The purpose of
this paper is to develop a method that allows for establishing boundaries of the
dynamic normal reaction in the tire-soil patch on uneven terrain. The boundary
constraints are considered for both maximum and minimum values to establish
conditions for mobility and steerability. Using differential equations
describing the motion two masses of a single-wheel module representing a vehicle
corner, an inverse dynamics-based method is developed to recover a time history
of the dynamic normal reaction of the wheel for assigned kinematics
characteristics of the sprung mass and wheel longitudinal dynamics, and given
stochastic characteristics of the terrain profile.

Citation: J. Paldan, V. Vantsevich, D. Gorsich, J. Goryca, A. Singh,
L. Moradi, “Terramechanics Impact of the Wheel Normal Reaction on
Mobility and Steerability Margins”, In Proceedings of the Ground
Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS),
NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
A HYBRID REDUCED ORDER MODELING APPROACH FOR RAPID TRANSIENT THERMAL SIMULATION AND SIGNATURE ANALYSIS
Authors: Wang Yi , Krolick William C. , Kaminsky Andrew L. , Tison Nathan , Ruan Yeefeng , Korivi Vamshi , Pant Kapil
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a hybrid CFD and reduced order modeling (ROM) approach for
fast and accurate flow and thermal analysis of vehicles to enable rapid thermal
signature prediction. The modular hybrid ROM solver includes several key
components, such as the turbulence modeling, CFD full order model (FOM)
customized for vehicle thermal analysis, FOM/ROM alternation, proper orthogonal
decomposition (POD) for basis vector construction, and online model switch
decision maker for coupled simulation, which are all developed in an integrated
framework. Several case studies of Army relevance at increasing complexity
levels are undertaken. The proposed hybrid ROM solver is able to accurately
analyze flow, turbulence, and thermal phenomena under time-varying operating
conditions with unprecedented computational performance. Quantitatively, the
relative error of our hybrid CFD FOM/ROM simulation stays below 0.35% and the
absolute error is less than 4 K. The ROM has a much smaller model order
(typically 10-15) relative to the CFD FOM. Speedup ratio up to 27× is
achieved in the present study without the use of any hardware accelerate
technique.

Citation: Y. Wang, W.C. Krolick, A.L. Kaminsky, N. Tison, Y. Ruan,
V. Korivi, K. Pant, “A Hybrid Reduced Order Modeling Approach for Rapid
Transient Thermal Simulation And Signature Analysis”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
WINTER TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION TO DETERMINE WHERE A VEHICLE CAN AND CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE
Authors: Welling Orian , Meyer Aaron , Vecherin Sergey , Parker Michael
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Determining where a vehicle can and cannot safely drive is a fundamental problem
that must be answered for all types of vehicle automation. This problem is more
challenging in cold regions. Trafficability characteristics of snow and ice
surfaces can vary greatly due to factors such as snow depth, strength, density,
and friction characteristics. Current technologies do not detect the type of
snow or ice surface and therefore do not adequately predict trafficability of
these surfaces.

In this paper, we took a first step towards developing a machine vision
classifier with an exploratory analysis and classification of cold regions
surface images. Specifically, we aimed to discriminate between packed snow,
virgin snow, and ice surfaces using a series of classical machine learning and
deep learning methods. To train the classifiers, we captured photographs of
surfaces in real world environments alongside hyperspectral scans, spectral
reflectance measurements, and LIDAR. In this initial analysis, only the
photography was assessed. The classifiers were cross-validated with a subset of
the data collected for the project.

In addition to surface imagery, trafficability metrics were collected for each
surface in the study. Vehicles from three different military classes
(lightweight ATV, light, and medium/heavy) were tested as a modified Jeep
Wrangler. Trafficability tests included draw bar and motion resistance, along
with acceleration, deceleration, slalom, lane-change and circle dynamics tests
where feasible. Each test surface was characterized alongside the vehicle and
terrain sensing measurements and include measurements of density, temperature,
and strength where applicable.

Results reported here show that winter surface conditions can be classified with
70%+ accuracy using onboard photography. Future work includes incorporating
additional sensor data, vehicle, and snow data into the model.

Citation: Welling, O.Z., Meyer, A., Vecherin, S., Parker, M.,
“Determining Where a Vehicle Can and Cannot Safely Drive”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
A Modeling Methodology for the Analysis of Abradable Powder Piston Skirt Coatings
Authors: Nicklowitz Daniel , Schock Harold , Suman Andy , Lowe Jim , Wood Ai LeGrande
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Line2Line’s patented abradable powder surface coatings are a mechanism by
which clearance between mating components is reduced, and the tribological
properties of the interacting surfaces can be improved. The following discussion
presents the modeling efforts targeting the numerical analysis of abradable
powder piston skirt coatings. This study employs the Cylinder-Kit Analysis
System for Engines (CASE) by Mid-Michigan Research to model the performance
enhancements offered by abradable powder coatings as applied to piston skirts.
Two piston models were generated for the purposes of this analysis, one with the
post-run stock reference geometry and coating, as supplied by the manufacturer,
and the second having the Line2Line post-run coated geometry. The pistons
modeled had been installed within two separate Cummins R2.8 L turbo diesel
engines, both of which were subject to several hours of runtime. The primary
finding of the current study is that the Line2Line abradable powder coated
pistons, henceforth referred to as “APC” pistons, exhibited
significantly less post-run clearance than the stock coated piston. The concept
of “integrated skirt clearance” (ISC) is introduced. Integrated
skirt clearance is a quantity that represents the volume between the piston
skirt and cylinder liner. CASE is then employed to model the piston dynamics,
frictional losses, and ring groove side wear associated with both the stock
coated piston and the APC piston. The APC pistons are predicted to experience
much less secondary motion than the stock coated piston. Less secondary motion
results in lower ring groove side wear. Finally, a methodology is presented for
the optimization of the piston skirt profile. The optimization employs both CASE
and HEEDS by Siemen
USING DEEP REINFORCEMENT LEARNING TO GENERATE ADVERSARIAL SCENARIOS FOR OFF-ROAD AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Authors: Sender Ted , Brudnak Mark , Steiger Reid , Vasudevan Ram , Epureanu Bogdan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Modern perception systems for autonomous vehicles are often dependent on deep
neural networks, however, such networks are unfortunately susceptible to subtle
perturbations to their inputs. Due to the interconnected nature of
perception/control systems in autonomous vehicles, it is quite difficult to
evaluate the autonomy stack’s robustness in different scenarios.
Numerous tools have been developed to assist developers increase the robustness
of these algorithms for on-road driving, but little has been accomplished for
off-road driving. This work aims to bridge this gap by presenting a
reinforcement learning framework to identify unsuspecting off-road scenes that
confuse a custom autonomy stack with a DNN-based perception algorithm to
ultimately lead the vehicle into a collision.

Citation: T. Sender, M. Brudnak, R. Steiger, R. Vasudevan, B.
Epureanu, “Using Deep Reinforcement Learning to Generate Adversarial
Scenarios for Off-Road Autonomous Vehicles,” In Proceedings of
the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
A NEW APPROACH TO DYNAMIC FACTOR BASED ON VEHICLE ACTUAL VELOCITY AND TIRE SLIP
Authors: Paldan Jesse , Vantsevich Vladimir , Gorsich David , Whitson Jordan , Letherwood Michael
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The dynamic factor is a common characteristic of vehicle traction and
acceleration performance derived from the traction balance of a vehicle.
Typically, the dynamic factor is presented as a function of the vehicle
theoretical velocity computed using the characteristics of the powertrain only
with no tire slippage included. For off-road vehicles requiring large traction
in most operational conditions, the tire slippage can impact considerably the
vehicle velocity. Furthermore, tire slippages and vehicle actual velocity of
multi-wheel drive vehicles significantly depends on the driveline system
configuration. In this paper, a new method for analysis of the dynamic factor is
proposed which includes the slippages of driving wheels and their influence on
the vehicle actual velocity. The method facilitates determination of the effects
of terrain grip limitations and slippage on the dynamic factor and acceleration
performance of off-road vehicles. An example is given for a 4x4 vehicle,
comparing the traditional and proposed approach.

Citation: J. Paldan, V. Vantsevich, D. Gorsich, J. Whitson, M.
Letherwood, “A New Approach to Dynamic Factor Based on Vehicle Actual
Velocity and Tire Slip,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle
Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi,
MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
MODEL BASED APPROACHES FOR SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTING MODULAR OPEN SYSTEM
APPROACH (MOSA)
Authors: Peters Robert , McDonald Brooke , Mikola Robin , Dattathreya Macam
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

In the continued endeavor to abstract higher levels of implementation and
generalize core features, the government is requiring the use of a Modular Open
System Approach (MOSA) [1] to
architectures that have a common set of services while conforming to portable
interfaces. This paper discusses how to model such restrictions in SysML,
including the why, how, and downstream effects.

Citation: R. Peters, B. McDonald, R. Mikola, M. Dattathreya,
“Model Based Approaches to Systems Implementing Modular Open System
Approach (MOSA),” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18,
2022.
LATERAL ROLLOVER SIMULATION OF HIGH MOBILITY MULTIPURPOSE WHEELED VEHICLE (HMMWV) AND EFFECTIVENESS OF RESTRAINTS SYSTEMS ON OCCUPANT RESPONSES
Authors: Babu Venkatesh , Kang Jian , Kankanalapalli Sanjay , Sheng Jim , Vunnam Madan , Karwaczynski Sebastian K. , Jessup Chris , Duncan Mike
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Non-combat tactical vehicle incidents such as rollover are one of the major
causes of soldier injuries and deaths. Rollover incidents are usually associated
with multiple impacts which result in complex interactions between occupants and
hard structural components. Detailed information of occupant responses in such
rollover incidents are lacking, and to design effective occupant protection
system and safety restraints systems, understanding the vehicle to occupant
interaction is essential. The performance of ground vehicles during a rollover
event is an important safety and occupant protection requirement for military
vehicles. Modeling and simulation are a very useful tool in study and
investigation of vehicle rollover characteristics and countermeasure
concepts.

The main goal of this research is to develop an M&S model of a HMMWV full
vehicle system and evaluate the effectiveness of the different restraints
systems in a lateral 25 mph rollover tests and its effect on occupant response
such as head, chest, pelvic accelerations and neck forces and moments. This
M&S analysis will aim to correlate to the PM LTV and IMMI conducted lateral
25 mph rollover test with set of restraints systems and evaluate Analysis of
Alternatives.

Citation: V. Babu, J. Kang, S. Kankanalapalli, J. Sheng, M. Vunnam,
S. K. Karwaczynski, C. Jessup and M. Duncan, “Lateral Rollover
Simulation of HMMWV and Effectiveness of Restraints Systems on Occupant
Responses” Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering
and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17,
2023.
TARGETING SIMULATION FOR ASSESSMENT OF LAY ERROR UNDER VARYING CONDITIONS
Authors: Gans Nicholas R. , Lundberg Cody L. , Forsythe Jennifer , Ensing Parker , Bourlai Thirimachos
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Lay error is a primary source of error in fire control, which is defined as
“the gunner’s inability to lay the sight crosshairs exactly on
the center of the target.” To evaluate the potential implementation of
computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms for improving
gunners’ performance or enabling autonomous targeting, it is crucial for
the US Army to establish a benchmark of human performance as a reference point.
In this study, we present preliminary results of a human subject study conducted
to establish such a baseline. Using the Unreal Engine [1], we developed a photorealistic simulation
environment with various targets. Fifteen individuals meeting the military
applicant criteria in terms of age were assigned the task of aligning crosshairs
on targets at multiple ranges and under different motion conditions. Each
participant fired at 240 targets, resulting in a total of 3600 shots fired. We
collected and analyzed data including lay error and time to fire. The initial
analysis reveals that subjects demonstrated a significant number of outliers in
lay error, and there was notable variation between subjects.

Citation: N.R. Gans, C.L. Lundberg, J. Forsythe, P. Ensing, T.
Bourlai, “Targeting Simulation for Assessment of Lay Error Under Varying
Conditions,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
15-17, 2023.
MULTI-CRITERIA MULTI-AGENT PATH PLANNING IN UNSTRUCTURED OFF-ROAD ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Khatiwada Sachet , Murray-Tuite Pamela , Schmid Matthias J
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Autonomous ground vehicles have the potential to reduce the risk to Soldiers in
unfamiliar, unstructured environments. Unmanned operations in unstructured
environments require the ability to guide the vehicles from their starting
position to a target position. This paper proposes a framework to plan paths
across such unstructured environments using a priori information about the
environment as cost criteria into a multi-criteria, multi-agent path planner.
The proposed multi-criteria, multi-agent path planner uses a penalty-based A*
algorithm to plan multiple paths across the unstructured environment and uses
entropy weighting for generating weights to calculate a multi-criteria cost with
distance, risk, and soil trafficability. The paths generated by the proposed
framework provide a better overall performance across the cost criteria and can
be used as waypoints to navigate UGVs in off-road environments.

Citation: S. Khatiwada, P. Murray-Tuite, M.J. Schmid,
“Multi-Criteria Multi-Agent Path Planning In Unstructured Off-Road
Environments,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
15-17, 2023.