Photo and caption by Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Acosta, 22nd MPAD,
Alcoa has manufactured the world's largest single-piece forged aluminum hull for combat vehicles, such as this one shown here, to improve
(U.S. Army)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A quick online search of ways to win in video games shows the lower body hull on military tanks is vulnerable to explosives. But employees at a 126-year-old local lightweight-high-performance metals manufacturer are doing their part to help save real soldiers in tanks.
Alcoa Defense, a division of Alcoa, in a joint collaboration with the U.S. Army, has manufactured the world's largest single-piece forged aluminum hull for combat vehicles.
The hull was made at its Cleveland Works plant on Harvard, just south of Steelyard Commons, using Alcoa's 50,000-ton forging press -- one of two heavy closed forging presses of this size in the United States.
"It's the most advanced and sophisticated 50,000 ton press in the world," said Eric Roegner, president of Alcoa Defense. "Using our materials expertise and ability to forge the world's largest aluminum structures, we moved this idea from concept to reality in record time, and we're already looking into forging other parts of combat vehicles."
While the top half of a tank is very well armored, the lower half is not as well protected. The rear and side armor of the hull (body) tend to be weaker, because they're typically made with multiple pieces joined together.
The newly created hull is being blast-tested in Maryland now to determine durability. Alcoa said the hull is expected to provide about two times better blast protection than traditional hulls. And while testing will continue for the next several months, Alcoa is encouraged by early results.
The development is six months ahead of the 18-month-schedule announced jointly last year by both Alcoa and the U.S Army. The initiative was launched in efforts to strengthen the military's defense against Improvised Explosive Devices.
At the time the project was announced, Dr. Ernest Chin of the Army Research Laboratory said the collaborative effort had the potential to be a "game changer for how combat vehicles are designed and made to better protect our soldiers."
A monolithic hull could be used to produce new, or retrofit existing, combat and tactical vehicles.
The hull was made at one of Alcoa's three plants in Northeast Ohio, where 1,000 people are employed. The company has another 600 employees who work at two other plants.
At the Cleveland Works location, part of the plant focuses on making aluminum wheels for trucks, while another part of the plant focuses on making aerospace applications.
The plant was originally built in 1917, where aluminum castings were made in World War I and later forgings were made in World War II. As part of a federal program, Alcoa was initially a contractor for the press that was owned by the government. Since 1982 the company has owned the press. In 2008, the company discovered cracks near its base and shut down the 10-story machine.
Enhancements to the 50,000-ton press cost about $100 million, including a $16 million aid package from the state. The rebuild started in 2009 and was completed two years later.
In rebuilding and redesigning the machine, Roegner said the company upgraded its controls so the new press is more powerful and more precise than the machine it replaced. Titanium parts are preheated to as high as 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit.
"This press is material agnostic, meaning that it can forge aluminum, titanium, nickel and steel products which is quite unique. Many presses forge only one of those materials," said Roegner who is also chief operating officer of Alcoa Investment Castings, Forgings and Extrusions.
Roegner said he's encouraged by opportunities to make many more parts for other military applications and vehicles.
"This forge and the capabilities we have really are unique," he said. "There's significant opportunities to grow."