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Understanding reliability is critical in design, maintenance and durability analysis of engineering systems. A reliability simulation methodology is presented in this paper for vehicle fleets using limited data. The method can be used to estimate the reliability of non-repairable as well as repairable systems. It can optimally allocate, based on a target system reliability, individual component reliabilities using a multi-objective optimization algorithm. The algorithm establishes a Pareto front that can be used for optimal tradeoff between reliability and the associated cost. The method uses Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the system failure rate and reliability as a function of time. The probability density functions (PDF) of the time between failures for all components of the system are estimated using either limited data or a user-supplied MTBF (mean time between failures) and its coefficient of variation.

Fe-Mn-Al-C steel alloys have been previously studied for their potential as an alternative steel alloy for Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA). Prior examination of the material system has shown promise in this capacity due to the high strength and reduced density of Mn steels as compared to RHA. The prior tested materials were both wrought and cast versions but were all less than an inch in thickness. The alloy is once again being examined, but this time in thicker wrought plate. The aim of the current body of work is to develop a Military Specification (MIL-SPEC) for this new class of ballistically capable material. For industry and communities interested in such material development, the purpose of this paper, then, is to provide a summary of the processing parameters, the prior ballistic and dynamic material testing, cutting and welding approaches, and the extent of progress on industrial sized thick plate development.

In this study, we extend and improve on the methods introduced by Brudnak et al. [1] by adding a second objective to the reduction of test time. This second objective under consideration is to diminish or reduce the number of cuts or deletions to the time histories during an editing process. As discussed in [1], segment-based methods consider each segment for retention or deletion based on its own localized severity, not considering the segments around it. As a result, retained segments can be widely scattered in the time domain depending on signal characteristics and therefore a large number of cuts can be induced unintentionally. Regardless of the joining method, such cuts and joins require artificial signal processing and should therefore be minimized. In this paper we present techniques to minimize these cuts while at the same time maintaining our original goals of time reduction and severity retention.

Improved propulsion system cooling remains an important challenge in the transportation industry as heat generating components, embedded in ground vehicles, trend toward higher heat fluxes and power requirements. The further minimization of the thermal management system power consumption necessitates the integration of parallel heat rejection strategies to maintain prescribed temperature limits. When properly designed, the cooling solution will offer lower noise, weight, and total volume while improving system durability, reliability, and power efficiency. This study investigates the integration of high thermal conductivity (HTC) materials, carbon fibers, and heat pipes with conventional liquid cooling to create a hybrid “thermal bus” to move the thermal energy from the heat source(s) to the ambient surroundings. The innovative design can transfer heat between the separated heat source(s) and heat sink(s) without sensitivity to gravity.