ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Army researchers collaborated with academic partners from the University of Central Florida to improve additive manufacturing. This partnership may help deliver extreme lightweight components to future Soldiers.
By optimizing the printing process for the additive manufacturing of a high-strength magnesium alloy and fabricating 24 micro-lattice structures, researchers characterized the compressive strength and failure modes, which will enable much lighter Army components.
“We used a magnesium alloy known as WE43, which has only been successfully 3D printed by a handful of researchers,” said Dr. Brandon McWilliams, the lead researcher for 3D printing metals at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. “In this work, we optimized the process to achieve higher density than previously reported and used that to produce and characterize lattice structures made up of WE43.”
Magnesium Elektron WE43 is a high strength casting alloy. It can be used in temperatures of up to 300°C (572°F), according to AZoM, an online publication for the materials science community. “This alloy has good mechanical properties coupled with excellent corrosion resistance.”
Advanced additive manufacturing has the potential to deliver critical parts at the point of need, reducing the need for lengthy logistic chains. Also, the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy calls for lightening the load to help support future Soldiers.
The research team published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Materialia.
McWilliams said he believes joining advanced lightweight alloys with novel multi-scale structures through additive manufacturing will be a key aspect of modernizing Army weapon systems. There are many lightweight structural applications in the automotive, aerospace and biomedical industries.
“Current systems are too heavy, which increases burden to the Soldier, reduces fuel efficiency and degrades mission effectiveness,” he said. “It is my goal as an Army researcher to conduct research, which has the maximum chance of success of transition from basic and applied research stage to practical application in order to enable transformational overmatch.”
Partnering with academia and industry has been a priority with the laboratory since it introduced its Open Campus initiative.
“This was an exciting and rewarding collaboration that produced the technological accomplishment founded on fundamental understanding of materials and additive manufacturing,” said Prof. Yongho Sohn, lead researcher at University of Central Florida. “Technological vision with clear scientific objectives defined by Dr. McWilliams and his team was the key to our contribution.”
Army researchers will now evaluate the high strain rate and ballistic properties of these 3D-printed materials and look for demonstration applications, such as ultra-lightweight unmanned aircraft system and robotic vehicle components, he said.
By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs
Posted in Army, Guest Post, Materials | Comments Off on Army Research Lab & University of Central Florida Optimize 3D Printing Process
During World War II, the Bataan Death March was a horrific forced march by the Japanese Imperial Army on American and Filipino prisoners of war. The 63-mile march from the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines began on April 9, 1942, with at least 72,000 POWs. According to some accounts, 75,000 soldiers were taken prisoner after the Bataan surrender; about 12,000 Americans and 63,000 Filipinos. The Bataan Death March resulted in an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 deaths due to the prisoners’ deplorable conditions and cruel treatment.
“This was the First Murder”
Captain William Dyess was a fighter pilot stationed on Luzon when the Japanese invaded. Captured when the American forces on Bataan surrendered, he joined the Death March and was interned by the Japanese. In April 1943, Captain Dyess was one of three prisoners able to escape from their captors. Captain Dyess eventually made his way back to America, where his story was published.
“The victim, an air force captain, was being searched by a three-star private. Standing by was a Jap commissioned officer, hand on the sword hilt. These men were nothing like the toothy, bespectacled runts whose photographs are familiar to most newspaper readers. They were cruel of face, stalwart, and tall.
‘’The private, a little squirt, was going through the captain’s pockets. All at once, he stopped and sucked in his breath with a hissing sound. He had found some Jap yen.
“He held these out, ducking his head and sucking in his breath to attract notice. The big Jap looked at the money. Without a word, he grabbed the captain by the shoulder and shoved him down to his knees. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard and raised it high over his head, holding it with both hands. The private skipped to one side.’
‘Before we could grasp what was happening, the black-faced giant had swung his sword. I remember how the sun flashed on it. There was a swish and a kind of chopping thud, like a cleaver going through beef’.
‘The captain’s head seemed to jump off his ‘shoulders. It hit the ground in front of him and went rolling crazily from side to side between the lines of prisoners.’
‘The body fell forward. I have seen wounds, but never such a gush of—blood as this. The heart continued to pump for a few seconds, and at each beat, there was another great spurt of blood. The white dust around our feet was turned into crimson mud. I saw the hands were opening and closing spasmodically. Then I looked away.’
‘When I looked again, the big Jap had put up his sword and was strolling off. The runt who had found the yen was putting them into his pocket. He helped himself to the captain’s possessions.’
“This was the first murder.”
Oriental Sun Treatment
As the prisoners were herded north, they collided with advancing Japanese troops moving to the south, forcing a brief halt to the march:
“Eventually, the road became so crowded we were marched into a clearing. For two hours, we had our first taste of the oriental sun treatment, which drains the stamina and weakens the spirit.
The Japs seated us on the scorching ground, exposed to the full glare of the sun. Many of the Americans and Filipinos had no covering to protect their heads. I was beside a small bush, but it cast no shade because the sun was almost directly above us. Many of the men around me were ill.
When I thought I could stand the penetrating heat no longer. I was determined to have a sip of the tepid water in my canteen. I had no more than unscrewed the top when the aluminum flask was snatched from my hands. The Jap who had crept up behind me poured the water into a horse’s nose-bag, then threw down the canteen. He walked on among the prisoners, taking away their water and pouring it into the bag. When he had enough, he gave it to his horse.”
Drop-outs
The parade of death continues its journey as its members inevitably succumb to the heat, the lack of food, and the lack of water:
“The hours dragged by and, as we knew, they must. The drop-outs began. It seemed that a great many of the prisoners reached the end of their endurance at about the same time. They went down by twos and threes. Usually, they made an effort to rise. I never can forget their groans and strangled breathing as they tried to get up. Some succeeded. Others lay lifeless where they had fallen.
I observed that the Jap guards paid no attention to these. I wondered why. The explanation wasn’t long in coming. There was a sharp crackle of pistol and rifle fire behind us.
Skulking along, a hundred yards behind our contingent, came a ‘clean-up squad’ of murdering Jap buzzards. Their helpless victims, sprawled darkly against the white of the road, were easy targets.
As members of the murder squad stooped over each huddled form, there would be an orange ‘flash in the darkness and a sharp report. The bodies were left where they lay, that other prisoners coming behind us might see them.
Our Japanese guards enjoyed the spectacle in silence for a time. Eventually, one of them who spoke English felt he should add a little spice to the entertainment.
‘Sleeper?’ he asked. ‘You won’t sleep? Just lie down on the road. You get good long sleep!’
On through the night, we were followed by orange flashes and thudding sounds.”
Arrival at San Fernando
Finally, after five days without food and little water, the dwindling column arrives at its destination:
“The sun still was high in the sky when we straggled into San Fernando, a city of 36,000 population, and were put in a barbed wire compound similar to the one at Orani. We were seated in rows for a continuation of the sun treatment. Conditions here were the worst yet.
The prison pen was jammed with sick, dying, and dead American and Filipino soldiers. They were sprawled amid the filth and maggots that covered the ground. Practically all had dysentery. Malaria and dengue fever appeared to be running unchecked. There were symptoms of other tropical diseases I didn’t even recognize.
Jap guards had shoved the worst cases beneath the rotted flooring of some dilapidated building. Many of these prisoners had already died. The others looked as though they couldn’t survive until morning.
There had been no burials for many hours.
After sunset Jap soldiers entered and inspected our rows.
Then the gate was opened again, and kitchen corpsmen entered with cans of rice. We held our mess kits and again passed lids to those who had none. Our spirits rose. We watched as the Japs ladled out generous helpings to the men nearest the gate.
Then, without explanation, the cans were dragged away, and the gate was closed. It was a repetition of the ghastly farce at Balanga. The fraud was much crueler this time because our need was vastly more significant. In our bewildered state, it took some time for the truth to sink in. When it did, we were too discouraged even to swear.”
References:
This eyewitness account appears in Dyess, William E., The Dyess Story (1943);
HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — The Military Child Education Coalition® announced today a military-connected high school senior from North Carolina has been named host of the nonprofit’s weekly podcast series throughout April in recognition of the Month of the Military Child.
Tatihana L., a senior from Swansboro High School in N.C., was chosen from more than 500 MCEC® Student to Student® programs to lead the MCEC Podcast series. Tatihana is the daughter of a U.S. Army Soldier and currently serves as her school’s S2S™ president.
“We are so proud to have Tatihana as our host as we celebrate the Month of the Military Child,” said Dr. Becky Porter, MCEC president and CEO. “This young lady represents everything that is great about being a military-connected student, and her leadership has made such a huge impact on her fellow students, the Onslow County School system, and the local community in North Carolina.”
This past November, the Swansboro High School S2S team was named the MCEC National High School S2S Team of the Year during the organization’s virtual Education Summit.
The podcast series begins April 1 with Tatihana sharing her story of what life is like as a military-connected student, dealing with reunifications and PTSD, and the value of S2S for students and the local community. Two of the featured interviews include:
• Zeke McCarley – As one of five children, Zeke shares his story of what it’s like to be a military kid and how he’s gained independence through determination.
• U.S. Army 1st Lt. Simone Askew – Askew shares her story of making history during her time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. as the first woman of color to earn the highest rank of First Captain.
Other interviews are planned for the month, and additional promotion will follow on the MCEC official website at MilitaryChild.org and the nonprofit’s social media accounts at Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
MCEC Podcast Program Manager Tara Gleason and the MCEC Student Achievement Program Manager, Debra Longley, presented the concept of having a student lead the podcast series several months ago. Their goal was to recognize a leader from the S2S program, which includes students from across the U.S. and Europe, to serve as a spokesperson and showcase the impact military-connected students have on their local communities.
As part of her role, Tatihana is participating in all aspects of the podcast including: preparation, research, generating questions, leading all interviews, and supporting portions of the editing process.
All podcasts are posted to the official MCEC Facebook page every Friday and available for download on Podbean and iTunes.
Posted in Charity, Press Release | Comments Off on Military Kid Announced as Host of MCEC Podcast for Month of the Military Child
True Velocity is teasing commercial sales of their revolutionary composite cased ammunition, currently under evaluation by the US Army as part of General Dynamics’ Next Generation Squad Weapons candidate systems.
Their powder loads are measured to the hundredth of a grain, resulting in SINGLE-DIGIT standard deviation.
This week, the Army released ALARACT 029/2021, allowing the optional wear of insignia and accoutrements on the Class B Army Green Service Uniform.
The Tropical Dress Variation is primarily intended for Soldiers in hot climates and serves as the alternative for the Class A uniform. Local commanders will determine when their Soldiers wear this uniform variant.
Refer to ALARACT 029/2021for specific guidance and utilize DA PAM 670-1 (26 JAN 2021) for specifics on authorized items and composition of the uniform.
“Queen of the Mile” is a new documentary-style series created by firearms journalist Sean Utley.
The premise is that five amateur female shooters get the opportunity to participate in three days of training from a former Marine Scout Sniper before taking a shot at a target a mile out. Along the way, the competitors are faced with challenges which offer additional attempts at the target. The hitch is that they only have those three days to complete everything.
