Table Of ContentOpportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science
and Technology for Future Army Applications
Committee on Opportunities in Protection Materials Science
and Technology for Future Army Applications
National Materials Advisory Board
and
Board on Army Science and Technology
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National
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This study was supported by Contract No. W911NF-09-C-0164 between the National Academy of Sciences
and the Department of Defense. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies
that provided support for the project.
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Cover: A soldier wearing protective equipment (left); up-armored high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle
(HMMWV) (center); drawing showing penetration of target (right, upper) and interface defeat—the goal of
protective material (right, lower). The lower border serves as a reminder of the continued increase in threat
that drives the need for advances in protective materials.
Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
COMMITTEE ON OPPORTUNITIES IN PROTECTION MATERIALS SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY FOR FUTURE ARMY APPLICATIONS
EDWIN L. THOMAS, Chair, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MICHAEL F. McGRATH, Vice Chair, Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER)
RELVA C. BUCHANAN, University of Cincinnati
BHANUMATHI CHELLURI, IAP Research, Inc.
RICHARD A. HABER, Rutgers University
JOHN WOODSIDE HUTCHINSON, Harvard University
GORDON R. JOHNSON, Southwest Research Institute
SATISH KUMAR, Georgia Institute of Technology
ROBERT M. McMEEKING, University of California, Santa Barbara
NINA A. ORLOVSKAYA, University of Central Florida
MICHAEL ORTIZ, California Institute of Technology
RAÚL A. RADOVITZKY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
KALIAT T. RAMESH, Johns Hopkins University
DONALD A. SHOCKEY, SRI International
SAMUEL ROBERT SKAGGS, Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired), Consultant
STEVEN G. WAX, Defense Applied Research Projects Agency (retired), Consultant
Staff
ERIK SVEDBERG, NMAB Senior Program Officer
ROBERT LOVE, BAST Senior Program Officer
NANCY T. SCHULTE, BAST Senior Program Officer
HARRISON T. PANNELLA, BAST Senior Program Officer
JAMES C. MYSKA, BAST Senior Research Associate
NIA D. JOHNSON, BAST Senior Research Associate
LAURA TOTH, NMAB Senior Program Assistant
RICKY D. WASHINGTON, NMAB Administrative Coordinator
ANN F. LARROW, BAST Research Assistant
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
NATIONAL MATERIALS ADVISORY BOARD
ROBERT H. LATIFF, Chair, R. Latiff Associates
LYLE H. SCHWARTZ, Vice Chair, University of Maryland
PETER R. BRIDENBAUGH, Alcoa, Inc. (retired)
L. CATHERINE BRINSON, Northwestern University
VALERIE BROWNING, ValTech Solutions, LLC
YET MING CHIANG, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
GEORGE T. GRAY III, Los Alamos National Laboratory
SOSSINA M. HAILE, California Institute of Technology
CAROL A. HANDWERKER, Purdue University
ELIZABETH HOLM, Sandia National Laboratories
DAVID W. JOHNSON, JR., Stevens Institute of Technology
TOM KING, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
KENNETH H. SANDHAGE, Georgia Institute of Technology
ROBERT E. SCHAFRIK, GE Aircraft Engines
STEVEN G. WAX, Strategic Analysis, Inc.
Staff
DENNIS CHAMOT, Acting Director
ERIK SVEDBERG, Senior Program Officer
RICKY D. WASHINGTON, Administrative Coordinator
HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Associate
LAURA TOTH, Senior Program Assistant
NOTE: In January 2011 the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) and the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering
Design combined to form the National Materials and Manufacturing Board. Listed here are the members of the NMAB who
were involved in this study.
vi
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
BOARD ON ARMY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ALAN H. EPSTEIN, Chair, Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut
DAVID M. MADDOX, Vice Chair, Independent Consultant, Arlington, Virginia
DUANE ADAMS, Carnegie Mellon University (retired), Arlington, Virginia
ILESANMI ADESIDA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
RAJ AGGARWAL, University of Iowa, Coralville
EDWARD C. BRADY, Strategic Perspectives, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
L. REGINALD BROTHERS, BAE Systems, Arlington, Virginia
JAMES CARAFANO, The Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.
W. PETER CHERRY, Independent Consultant, Ann Arbor, Michigan
EARL H. DOWELL, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
RONALD P. FUCHS, Independent Consultant, Seattle, Washington
W. HARVEY GRAY, Independent Consultant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
CARL GUERRERI, Electronic Warfare Associates, Inc., Herndon, Virginia
JOHN J. HAMMOND, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired), Fairfax, Virginia
RANDALL W. HILL, JR., University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies,
Marina del Rey
MARY JANE IRWIN, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
ROBIN L. KEESEE, Independent Consultant, Fairfax, Virginia
ELLIOT D. KIEFF, Channing Laboratory, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
LARRY LEHOWICZ, Quantum Research International, Arlington, Virginia
WILLIAM L. MELVIN, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Smyrna
ROBIN MURPHY, Texas A&M University, College Station
SCOTT PARAZYNSKI, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, Texas
RICHARD R. PAUL, Independent Consultant, Bellevue, Washington
JEAN D. REED, Independent Consultant, Arlington, Virginia
LEON E. SALOMON, Independent Consultant, Gulfport, Florida
JONATHAN M. SMITH, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
MARK J.T. SMITH, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
MICHAEL A. STROSCIO, University of Illinois, Chicago
JOSEPH YAKOVAC, President, JVM LLC, Hampton, Virginia
Staff
BRUCE A. BRAUN, Director
CHRIS JONES, Financial Manager
DEANNA P. SPARGER, Program Administrative Coordinator
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
Preface
Armor materials are remarkable: Able to stop multiple Coincidentally, six weeks after the final committee
hits and save lives, they are essential to our military capa- meeting, the Army announced a draft program calling for
bility in the current conflicts. But as threats have increased, establishment of a collaborative research alliance for materi-
armor systems have become heavier, creating a huge burden als in extreme dynamic environments.2 Since the committee
for the warfighter and even for combat vehicles. This study did not review the Army’s preliminary request for proposal,
of lightweight protection materials is the product of a com- it is not discussed in the study.
mittee created jointly by two boards of the National Research The committee was composed of a wide range of experts
Council, the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB)1 whose backgrounds in processing and characterization of ce-
and the Board on Army Science and Technology (BAST), ramics, metals, polymers, and composites, as well as theory
in response to a joint request from the Assistant Secretary and modeling and high-rate testing of protection materials,
of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology and combined wonderfully to make this report possible. I want
the Army Research Laboratory. The committee examined to thank each and every one of the committee members for
the fundamental nature of material deformation behavior at their hard work, camaraderie, and dedicated efforts over the
the very high rates characteristic of ballistic and blast events. past year and in particular, Mike McGrath, the vice chair,
Our goal was to uncover opportunities for development of and chapter leads Richard Haber, John Hutchinson, Nina
advanced materials that are custom designed for use in armor Orlovskaya, Don Shockey, Bob Skaggs, Raúl Radovitzky,
systems, which in turn are designed to make optimal use of and Steve Wax. Staff of the NMAB and the BAST did a great
the new materials. Such advances could shorten the time job supporting the study and in bringing the report to fruition.
for material development and qualification, greatly speed
engineering implementation, drive down the areal density Edwin L. Thomas, NAE, Chair
of armor, and thereby offer significant advantages for the Committee on Opportunities in
U.S. military. We hope this report will have a revolutionary Protection Materials
effect on the materials and armor systems of the future—an Science and Technology for
effect that will meet mission needs and save even more lives. Future Army Applications
2U.S. Army. 2010. A Collaborative Research Alliance (CRA) for Ma-
1In January 2011 the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) and
terials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (MEDE), Solicitation Number
the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design combined to form
W911NF-11-R-0001, October 28. Available online at https://www.fbo.gov/
the National Materials and Manufacturing Board. The move underscored
index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=48a13a80653b1fabe3f83ede9ddc64
the importance of materials science to innovations in engineering and
1b&tab=core&tabmode=list&=. Last accessed March 31, 2011.
manufacturing.
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Opportunities in Protection Materials Science and Technology for Future Army Applications
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by indi- Wayne E. Marsh, DuPont Central Research and
viduals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical Development,
expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the R. Byron Pipes, Purdue University,
National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Com- Bhakta B. Rath, Naval Research Laboratory,
mittee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide Susan Sinnott, University of Florida, and
candid and critical comments that will assist the institution Edgar Arlin Starke, Jr., University of Virginia
in making its published report as sound as possible and to
ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objec- Although the reviewers listed above have provided
tivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not
review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor
to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The
thank the following individuals for their review of this report: review of this report was overseen by Elisabeth M. Drake,
NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory of
Charles E. Anderson, Jr., Southwest Research Energy and the Environment. Appointed by the National Re-
Institute, search Council, she was responsible for making certain that
Diran Apelian, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an independent examination of this report was carried out in
Morris E. Fine, Technological Institute Professor accordance with institutional procedures and that all review
Emeritus, Northwestern University comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the
Peter F. Green, University of Michigan, final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring
Julia R. Greer, California Institute of Technology, committee and the institution.
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