Advanced Composite Army Assault Bridge Development through Subcomponent Testing.
Abstract
The basic purpose of this program was to demonstrate that advanced composite materials can be applied to the main load carrying elements of an armored vehicle launched assault bridge with a significant saving in weight over metallic structural materials. The study was carried out in three major segments: 1. A conceptual design and analysis concentrating on the shear panels; 2. A subelement test program to develop basic laminate and joint allowables to aid in design and analysis of critical portions of the bridge; also a test of two full scale composite test articles representing the critical joint areas in the selected concept; and 3. Design of a three meter lightweight bridge test section applying the results of 1 and 2 above. Basic analysis methods and assumptions regarding boundary conditions and stress concentration factors used in stability and strength analyses were verified by the structural test program. The final design resulted in a composite AVLB test section weighing 125.7 Kilograms/meter including the upper deck and all fittings. This indicates significant weight savings over a comparable design in aluminum. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA046949
Entities
Organizations
- General Dynamics