Boston, MA 10/14/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) disclosed that it has manufactured the globe’s biggest single-piece forged aluminum hull for battle vehicles. The company expects this to enhance the protection of troop. This is part of the joint initiatives with the U.S. army unveiled last year.
Jointly Designed
The company stated that the single-piece aluminum part was jointly designed by it and the Research Laboratory of the US Army, its statement revealed. The objective was to replace the current assembled hulls.
Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) said that the single-piece underbody composition would offer protection two times better against blasts than the traditional hulls. This meant that it could stand the blasts like the one caused by Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs. This was possible due to the elimination of welded seams. Apart from this, the single-sheet hull could be maximized to cut down the weight of vehicle and assembly time resulting in reduced overall expenses.
Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) indicated that the hull was part of U.S. Army’s program established to enhance the military’s preparedness against sophisticated threats like IEDs or advanced manufactured technologies. While the single-piece hull would be stronger and solid composition, Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) said that it would reduce the overall costs during the life period of the vehicle through fuel efficiency and elimination of complexity.
Management Speaks
Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA)’s President for Defense division, Eric Roegner, said that it was proud to lead the path of developing a game-changer for battle vehicles to protect the soldiers better. He said that it was able to move the idea to reality in record time from concept due to its expertise and capability to integrate the biggest aluminum structures. He added that he was looking into aligning other parts of battle vehicles.
Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) indicated that the U.S. army was blast testing the single-piece hull to showcase its durability. Once the testing proves to be successful, the initiative would throw open to a number of opportunities for big battle vehicles, as well as, other applications.
