ME-416 Senior Design
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Shoe Track - Road Pad - Pin - Bushing Casing (Long) - Bushing Casing (Short)
The purpose of this project is to provide validated design improvements for the T-130 track assembly for the M113A3 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) for the US Army Tank Automotive Command (USA TACOM).
Selected high wear components of the shoe track and road pad assembly were redesigned to increase operational life while lowering operating and maintenance costs. All design iterations satisfy USA TACOM design constraints including the ability to retro-fit individual worn shoe track and road pad assemblies on existing T-130 track.
The deliverables included consist of a complete analysis of the current T-130 shoe track and road pad assembly design with associated: 3D modeling, drawings, and stress analyses. The redesign process begins with a failure mode analysis followed by feasibility studies for several design alternatives. As a result, the road pad and the bushings were chosen as viable options for design improvements. Final design improvements for the road pad consist of a new more durable material and a slight geometry change on the leading edge of the pad. The bushings were radically redesigned with new materials and functionality, enabling a longer bushing life. The combination of these design improvements are employed in the new T-170 shoe track and road pad assembly design.
Projected procurement cost is significantly under $2.45 per vehicle mile. Investment value will be directly related to performance and component life desired.
M113A3 Armored Personnel Carrier
The M113A3 Armored Personnel Carrier is part of the M113 class of light and versatile tracked vehicles that carries up to 12 soldiers. Over 40,000 M113 APCs saw service in the Vietnam War as assault vehicles. The original design of the M113, approximately 40 years old, has been modified significantly since its conception to include approximately 60 variants. Initial M113s were amphibious, able to be air-dropped, and had a combat loaded weight of 25,000 pounds.
The M113A3 APC variant has since been created due to new military directives as well as changing field requirements. Because of the increased number of systems and armor on board, the maximum weight of the current vehicle is now 31,000 pounds. Operating the original T-130 track on such a heavy vehicle causes the track to wear out significantly faster under the same operating conditions than was anticipated. Thus, there exists a need to explore T-130 track alternative designs to improve track wear and subsequently, component life. The main driver of alternative track designs is the minimization of the operating and maintenance cost per vehicle mile. Tracked vehicles historically require high drivetrain maintenance depending on the type of terrain and complexity of its track.