Posted on August 2, 2004 at 2:47 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Engineering has been awarded a four-year, $4.7 million contract from the Army Research Laboratory to develop new, low-cost composite materials to be used to lighten the loads soldiers carry and to make stronger, lighter combat weaponry.

“The focus of this research will be on increasing the protection and effectiveness of our combat soldiers,” said principal investigator Uday Vaidya, Ph.D., associate professor of materials engineering. “New and highly innovative thermoplastic composite technologies can provide cost effective solutions to reducing the weight of weapons and ammunition and can also provide opportunities to reduce weight and improve effectiveness of soldier protective gear. Success in reducing these weight penalties provides exceptional benefit to improving individual soldier capability, protection, comfort, maneuverability and ultimately field effectiveness.”

The UAB School of Engineering will be the project leader for the contract and will work closely with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. Additional technical support will be provided by the National Composites Center (NCC) in Dayton, Ohio.

Vaidya said the innovative thermoplastic composite technologies UAB is working on offer outstanding advantages in comparison to metals due to their high damage tolerance, high specific strength and stiffness, processing flexibility, corrosion resistance and ease of repair. Typically, these thermoplastic composite structures can be made from common, relatively inexpensive materials, including polypropylene, polyethylene and nylon and reinforced with glass, carbon and/or aramid fibers.

He said numerous applications for the composite technology already have been identified and include ballistic vests, plastic bullet cartridges, lightweight gun components, ammunition magazines and containers and helmets. There also is potential for low-cost, very lightweight air vehicle applications, such as helicopter components and unmanned air vehicles.

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.), who served on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee for eight years overseeing and monitoring all facets of national security said, “I am pleased that UAB has been awarded this important contract because we must continue to invest resources in initiatives that provide our soldiers with improved tools in the field. I am confident that the researchers and engineers at UAB will do outstanding work on this project.”