VARTM Processing Applied to M939 Fender Fabrication

摘要

Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) has the potential to lower production costs through low-cost tooling approaches, low resin and reinforcement costs, and reduced processing time. An examination of a number of these factors will be illustrated using the example of the M939 fender. This part has been selected for possible transition from metal to composite by the US Army, due both to enhanced physical properties of the composites compared to sheet metal, and potential reduced fabrication costs. Adequate stiffness is key to the performance of the fender in the field. This property has been measured on prototype parts, and the degree of bending under a particular load exhibited good agreement with finite element simulations.