Contact: Bob Ratliff
Mississippi State engineers are part of a national team working to produce a new lightweight pickup for military and civilian use.
The U.S. Army's Improved Materials and Powertrain Architectures for 21st Century Trucks (IMPACT) program is providing $150,000 for materials research by the university's College of Engineering. The overall project is a two-year, $11.2 million joint effort between the Ford Motor Co. and the military.
"Fuel accounts for 70 percent of everything the Army moves to the battlefield, so fuel efficiency is critical," said MSU's Richard D. Patton. "The Army needs a full-size pickup tough enough to withstand the rigors of military use and achieve improved fuel efficiency over what is currently available."
Patton, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and other MSU engineers and scientists are initially investigating the use of high-strength, lightweight steel designs for use in the truck's body and frame. The technology will be demonstrated on a Ford F-150.
Patton said America's voracious truck-buying public ultimately will benefit from the research.
"The goal is to design trucks for commercial production that are suitable, with few modifications, for military use," he explained. "In addition to fuel efficiency, the military requires vehicles that have corrosion resistance, low maintenance requirements and other qualities that will keep them in service for more than 20 years."
The IMPACT program is sponsored by the Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command's National Automotive Center, which develops dual-use technologies for military vehicles. The American Iron and Steel Institute is providing additional support.
Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory and the University of Louisville are the other project participants.