Analyzing and Evaluating Alternatives for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Powertrain
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Abstract
The United States Army relies on its fleet of combat vehicles to allow for freedom to maneuver on the battlefield. In turn, these vehicles rely on their powertrains, particularly, the engine and transmission, to properly function. This study evaluates the benefits obtained from upgrading the powertrain for the family of medium-tracked vehicles, focusing on the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. These benefits are quantified by changes in performance, reliability, and sustainability through the use of a value model. The value model provides an overall score that quantifies for the benefit of upgrading the engine. Vehicle performance is captured through a tractive-effort analysis which converts engine and transmission performance data to vehicle performance measures. Reliability is modeled through a bottom-up component analysis. The study presents a drive-cycle analysis for the M2A3 to estimate the amount of fuel consumption to provide a sustainability metric. The study found that while some improvement can be realized through changing the engine, a much larger benefit can be gained from modifying both the engine and transmission.
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