• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

New mortar Manufacturing Process Aims to Save Money, Improve Precision

December 30, 2014 By admin

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Dec. 30, 2014) – The U.S. Army is seeking to implement a new mortar manufacturing process to provide improved weapons at a lower cost, officials said.

The Army introduced a nickel super-alloy called Inconcel to produce mortars in 2008, but its properties make it challenging to manufacture. Researchers have been working on an alternative method to overcome the difficulties, said Chris Humiston, a mechanical engineer with the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, at Watervliet Arsenal, New York.

ARDEC is one of seven centers and laboratories that make up the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

Current processes to manufacture 60mm mortar tubes rely on traditional mechanical cutting and grinding of material to achieve the required geometry, Humiston said. Tough materials that are good for weapons are inherently difficult to machine.

These materials, such as Inconcel, are becoming more common in defense applications because of their high strength, corrosion resistance and high survivability in extreme environments.

“It’s difficult to machine because it’s a strong, tough material that has a very high temperature resistance,” he said. “When you cut it with conventional tools, you get a high amount of tooling wear. It can lead to deficiencies in the component.

“Since the tube is thin-walled, during the machining process, we would get a large amount of residual stress in the wall of the tube. Occasionally it would cause the tube to go out of round, and the part would have to be scrapped.”

The team at ARDEC then turned to electrochemical machining technology, ECM, as a potential solution. Manufacturers have used ECM for decades to work with extremely hard materials.

General Electric, or GE, developed and patented an electro-erosion process called Blue Arc for the production of aircraft engines. ARDEC partnered with GE, licensed the technology and adapted it for use on mortar manufacturing.

“We were looking for an alternative manufacturing process that would not have any of these issues that would contribute to the deficiencies in production. The ECM process reduces the manufacturing variability, which increases the precision of the rounds. This allows for a more consistent process,” Humiston said.

Engineering technician Joe Carter explained how the Army benefits from ECM.

“In conventional machining, you’re pulling the metal off with a lathe or milling machine. That creates stress,” Carter said. “As your tool gets dull, it creates more stress. With ECM, the tool never touches the part.

“It has electrochemically dissolved the metal. You don’t get the stress in the part, which improve quality and production time.”

The ECM process leaves a polished surface without the machining marks and the residual surface stresses produced by mechanical machining. It can achieve extreme precision in geometric parts with complex geometry.

Humiston said the group examined each step of the production process to identify time savings. “We were able to identify certain operations that could be removed from the existing process if we used ECM. We looked at removing nine operations and 12 hours of machining time from the existing process, which is a 30 to 40 percent improvement,” he said.

This technology will enable defense manufacturing centers to meet the machining demands created through the use of these tougher armament materials, Humiston said.

To fund the partnership with GE, ARDEC leveraged the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program, or DAC. The RDECOM Global Technology Integration Team manages the program for the Army.

The Department of Defense established DAC in 2003 in response to a congressional mandate for a program that was innovative, flexible and competitive to integrate mature technologies into the acquisition cycle, said William “Randy” Everett, DAC project officer at RDECOM headquarters.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Comparative Technology Office evaluated the proposals and selected candidates for funding. DAC was funded through fiscal year 2012.

To resolve the issue of waste as a byproduct of ECM, ARDEC contracted with Faraday Technology to develop an electrowinning process through the Army’s Small Business Innovation Research Program.

“We’re going to eliminate the waste issue altogether,” Humiston said. “We’re making a fully recyclable, fully sustainable manufacturing process when we combine electrowinning with ECM. It falls in with the Army’s sustainable manufacturing initiative to reduce waste, energy usage and water usage.”

Humiston said the objective under DAC was to prove a pilot capability for this effort. He is now seeking additional funding through the Army’s Manufacturing Technology Program to transition the process into the organic industrial base.

Filed Under: Army, daniel articles, Top News

Recent Posts

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Do You Know The Army’s Most Dangerous Jobs?

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.