Improving Performance and Endurance Through Innovations in FSW Fabrication

CTC designed, built, and tested durable lightweight trailers, improving performance and endurance through the application of FSW fabrication.

Current lightweight trailers used by the U.S. Army for hauling cargo on the battlefield are made of sheet metal that is riveted together.  These structures take a lot of abuse and are prone to failure in service due to static overload and fatigue loading conditions.  CTC engineers designed and built a new prototype trailer frame, and testing was carried out by the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center.  The new frame vastly outperformed the old design due primarily to the use of advanced materials and processes developed by CTC.

Key to the success of the new frame was the elimination of bolts and rivets for transferring loads in service.  CTC developed a new construction technique that allows the frame of the trailer to be 100 percent friction stir welded, eliminating the use of bolts or rivets for transferring load.  This construction method was carried out with high strength aluminum lithium materials, greatly improving the inherent strength of the frame.  Finally, a new corrosion protection system developed by CTC was applied to the welded frame, demonstrating CTC’s ability to provide a “complete package” of technology development, including design, innovation of new structural arrangements and processes, and full-scale prototype construction.

This project was a major success for the CTC team and was recognized by Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) as a key technology development.