Laboratory Information:
ARL - Vehicle Technology Directorate - Structures Program
AMSRL-VS-ST
Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA 23681-0001
Website: http://www.arl.army.mil/vtd/vtcindex.html
Agency/Department: Dept. of Defense - Army
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Background/History of the Laboratory:
The Vehicle Technology Directorate ( VTD) of the U.S.
Army Research Laboratory conducts basic and
exploratory research in structural and propulsion technologies. Structural research is performed at
the NASA
Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., where Army and NASA scientists and engineers work jointly on
programs involving structural mechanics and integrity, air/ground vehicle loads and dynamics,
crashworthiness, active noise and vibration control, and non-destructive evaluation methodologies. This
research provides the enabling technology needed to extend the life of existing Army vehicles and to
design
affordable future platforms having greater durability, lighter weight, improved crashworthiness, and
reduced
operational and support costs. The Army partnership with the NASA Research Centers started in 1969 and
has
been an enduring success story ever since. The arrangement has enabled Army scientists and engineers
to
leverage over 550 specialized NASA state-of-the- art, world-class research facilities, and to collaborate
on joint
programs with highly regarded national and international experts in air and ground vehicle technology.
Mission of the Laboratory:
-
Conducting theoretical and experimental
investigations in engines and drive systems, including component
research of either a basic or applied nature, oriented toward significant improvements of Army vehicle
technology.
- Assessing the potential of new vehicle concepts and translating
findings to new requirements for research
while pursuing detailed programs that take maximum advantage of precedent-setting technological
opportunities.
Technology Areas of Expertise:
- Loads and dynamics
- Rotocraft dynamics and vibration
- Crashworthiness
- Composite structure interaction
- Elastically coupled structures
- Anisotropic piezoelectric actuators
- Structural mechanics
- Advanced structural analyses
- Stress analysis
- Fatigue and fracture analysis
- Composite delaminations analysis
- Low-velocity impact analysis
- Nondestructive flaw inspection
