Laboratories

Ground Vehicle Power & Mobility (GVPM):

Propulsion Systems Laboratory

Offers various simulated field test scenario conditions under controlled/repeatable laboratory environment. Nine (9) dynamometer test cells – six (6) test cells provide engine/transmission component or subsystem testing and three (3) test cells are full vehicle engine, transmission, and drive axle capable designed for steady-state and transient testing, standardized or customized ISO 17025 accredited test procedures, full load cooling, fuel economy, engine performance, endurance, transmission performance and efficiency

Ground Systems Power & Energy Laboratory (GSPEL)

A 31,400 sq. ft. facility with eight (8) laboratories:

• Power Energy Vehicle Environment Laboratory (PEVEL)

Equipped with ten (10) wheeled and two (2) tracked vehicle dynamometer for controlled and repeatable road load profile simulation full vehicle powertrain testing, evaluation, and assessment with environmental chamber facilities.

• Air Flow Laboratory

Test and evaluation of heat exchangers, charge are coolers delivering airflow volumes up to 50,000 CFM.

• Air Flow Laboratory Air Filtration – test and evaluation of air filtration devices in a controlled and repeatable environment at four different air flows– 250 SCFM, 2000 SCFM, 5000 SCFM, and 12,000 SCFM.

• Energy Storage Laboratory

Evaluation and qualification of batteries and electrochemical technologies at cell, module, and battery pack levels.

• Electronic Component Laboratory

Supports research, development, characterization and testing of high-voltage, high-power components for vehicle electrification and hybrid-electric power technology.

• Fuel Cell Laboratory – investigate, integrate, test and verify performance and readiness of fuel cell systems and fuel reformers.

• Real Time Controls Laboratory – develop, test, validate, and evaluate real time control system components, highly specialized developmental software and hardware test laboratory equipped with engine, trans-mission, and powertrain component simulations for development and test of powertrain control systems.

Ground Vehicle Robotics (GVR)

Ground Vehicle Robotics – BOT Laboratory

Develops testbed vehicles for integration and testing of new technology, sensors, payloads, algorithms, etc. Testing of embedded software and operator controls function as designed.

Interoperability Profiles / Conformance Verification Tool

Develops software validation procedures and tools to verify vendor conformance to government defined IOP profiles and develop common tools for testing unmanned systems.

Robotic Assessment, Characterization and Experimentation Track Outdoor test area to experiment and evaluated robots and robotic technology. Test track accommodates small and medium size robots.

Ground Vehicle Survivability & Protection (GVSP)

Occupant Protection Laboratory Full service test facility with six distinct labs to perform dynamic impact / impulse testing on components, subsystems, and/or systems including energy mitigation technologies.

• Anthropomorphic Test Device Certification Lab – certify anthropomorphic test devices in-house.
• Crew Compartment Underbody Blast Simulator – a large platform holds up to four seated occupants to evaluate crew compartments in simulated underbody blast events. Testing of energy absorbing seats, bench seats, restraints, floors, cargo retention devices, etc. – CCUBS is scheduled to be operational 2QTR of FY19.
• Component Impact Simulator – a multi-purpose test device for component and sub-component shock impulse testing (e.g. head, neck, pelvis, lumbar, etc.).
• Floor Interface Technology Accelerator – a test device utilized to evaluate the performance of energy absorbing floor materials for vehicle in a simulated underbody blast.
• Sub-System Drop Tower – a device to evaluate technologies that are designed to endure dynamic impact testing and capable of simulating a wide range of impulses and measuring the effects.
• Soldier System Interface Impactor – an impact test device used to test vehicle interior impact points that may result in head and extremity injuries.

Fire Protection Technology Integration Laboratory

Tests and evaluates facility to examine and evaluate emerging automatic fire extinguishing system technologies and chemical agents.

Rapid Evaluation Capability Located at Camp Grayling, this test facility provides real-time experiments and evaluates emerging technologies against high-explosive threats.

Survivability Armor Ballistics Laboratory

Provides independent ballistic testing, data collection and reduction, analysis, and armor qualification testing

Physical Simulation &Test (PS&T)

• Environmental Chamber Testing

Three environmental test chambers including full vehicle chamber with vibration loads, component environmental chamber, and multi-axial simulation table environmental chamber.

• Component Durability/Characterization Testing

Two different component durability and characterization rigs are available for high-capacity tension, compression, bend/flex, and shear testing of materials.

• Man-in-the-Loop Motion Base Simulation

Two six degrees-of-freedom motion based man-in-the-loop virtual simulators with reconfigurable crew station for various cabin designs.

• Multi-Axial Simulation Table (MAST)and Mission Equipment Vibration Table (MEVT)

A vibration table with six-degrees-of-freedom and capable of using road load inputs to test and evaluate components and sub-systems (Maximum payloads: Light MAST 1080 lbs. & Heavy MAST 25,000 lbs.).

• MRAP System Integration Lab M&S Environment

Development of simulated entities based on scenario generation on virtual battlefield and provide real-time vehicle dynamics.

• Full Vehicle Vibration Testing (N-Post)

Rig test to simulate displacement and accelerations based on real road test profiles for vehicles up to 5 axles and 80,000 lbs. GVWR.

• Pintle Motion Based Simulator (PMBS)

A multi-axial high-fidelity simulator used to conduct durability and performance tests on lunette trailers with maximum payload of 20,000 lbs.

• Rotary Actuator – Torsion Bar Testing

Test equipment used to evaluate torsional durability and fatigue.

• Seat Comfort & Ride Quality Evaluation 

Test device to evaluate seats based on static and dynamic body pressure distribution profiles and absorbed power with acceleration data.

• Suspension Parameter Identification Evaluation Rig (SPIdER)

A test rig to evaluate ride and handling performance of wheeled vehicles, three axles, and a maximum weight of 100,000 lbs.

• Shock Test Evaluation Machine (STEM) & Blast

Two suspension and blast test rigs to simulate vehicle loads for component and sub-system durability as well as collecting vehicle characterization data.

• Sensor Visualization Tool 

Camera vision simulator to optimize cameras (video, IR, 360 degree) and thermal imager vehicle applications.

• Digital Terrain Profile

3-D laser scan system capable of measuring road profiles that is converted to an RMS value.

• Tire Durability & Characterization

Tests tire / rim characteristics over a range of duty-cycles and conditions.

• TARDEC Virtual Experiment Capability (TVEC)

Conduct Soldier virtual simulations to obtain relevant Soldier feedback in an operational context for a given conceptual ground vehicle system.

• Vehicle Inertia Properties Evaluation Rig (VIPER)

Test rig to determine various vehicle parameters, such as center-of-gravity, mass moments of inertia for roll, pitch, yaw, and total vehicle weight for vehicles up to 100,000 lbs.

Materials (MAT):

• Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing, AKA 3D printing, is defined as a process of joining materials layer upon layer to create or repair parts using 3D data/models as opposed to traditional, subtractive manufacturing.

• Application & Integration

The Application and Integration Team investigates and matures material technologies; provides weight reduction and design optimization engineering support for integration into DoD ground vehicle systems and support systems.

• Characterization & Failure Analysis

Material characterization and testing are the focus of the labs, which facilitate material selection, design, verification, improvement and failure analysis. The two laboratories are versatile in their approaches to problem solving and will employ technical experience to engage in innovative solutions to customer requests.

• Joining – Welding, Mechanical Fasteners, Adhesives

Providing technical expertise through materials joining solutions for ground vehicles and support systems. Practically every segment of ground vehicle systems involves at least one aspect of joining

• Materials-Environmental Coatings & Corrosion

The M-ECC Team provides environmental support to ground vehicles and support systems from R&D through disposal.