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ENGINEER RESEARCH AND |
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The military faces obstacles during combat and not just enemy forces. Natural conditions, such as weather and environmental landscape can hinder how the military performs. When landing helicopters or driving vehicles across deserts, the military is faced with brown out conditions – when clouds of dust, created by a helicopter or vehicle, obstructs the view of a helicopter pilot, vehicle driver and people on the ground. Brown conditions have led to accidents, some even fatal.
“Besides running the risk of endangering human life, fugitive dust decreases engine life of aircraft,” said John Rushing, a research scientist for the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a research division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In response to this potentially hazardous problem, the U.S. Marine Corps System Command tasked the ERDC to develop a dust control solution for the Marine Corps that would quickly and effectively mitigate dust on helipads and convoy routes.
The ERDC evaluated products from several companies specializing in dust control solutions including Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc. “Midwest Industrial Supply’s products were among the most effective dust control agents tested during a field demonstration early last year. The products are not only effective but they also pose little risk to the environment,” said Rushing.
Midwest Industrial Supply, Canton, Ohio, is the world-leading manufacturer of environmentally safe dust and soil control products. Serving a variety of industries, Midwest Industrial’s technological know-how also has led to the development of erosion control and anti-icing strategies.
Input from the Marine Corps and the ERDC allowed Midwest Industrial Supply to create the Wolverine E-Spray™ System (photo above right). This self-contained spray system is specifically designed to fit on the open bed of an A2 Series Heavy Mobile Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).
Developing a viable solution for the Marine Corps’ needs went through a series of requirement and product modifications, ensuring effectiveness and safety. “The time frame to develop the Wolverine was relatively quick. In about six months, with the aid of computer modeling, Midwest Industrial Supply had created a prototype and made a series of modifications to attain the final product,” said Hawkins.
In six weeks, Midwest Industrial Supply had designed a working prototype spraying device that was capable of holding up to 550 gallons of solution (i.e. Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc.’s EnviroKleen®). Once finished, the prototype was field tested in Douglas, Arizona, in March 2004.
Results from the first field test determined that the Wolverine had to be lighter, via incorporating lighter hardware, and that it had to incorporate additional features. Midwest Industrial Supply redesigned the Wolverine so that users could easily access the inside of the tank for cleanout purposes. A system for recirculation and agitation also was added so that the Wolverine could handle other products needing to be mixed with water (i.e. Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc.’s Soil-Sement®). Additional features included: a modified pump to speed the time of loading the materials, a reserve fuel tank, multiple quick-connect nozzle options for application control fluid level gage inside the cab, an included tool box, and conversion of electrical capabilities from 12 volts to 24 volts.
In June 2004, the ERDC field-tested the modified version of the Wolverine in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and demonstrated the unit in July at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, in front of the U.S. military as well as foreign military officials.
Joint Rapid Airway Construction (JRAC) will allow the Army to quickly construct or improve runways anywhere in the world in a matter of hours. The ERDC will test the Wolverine to control dust on parking aprons and aircraft runways. The initiative, which began in 2000, is still in the testing phase.
JRAC looks at using different types of chemical stabilizers and matting systems to improve the properties of existing soil in order to be able to withstand loads applied by aircrafts. Engineers working on JRAC also are using topographical data to help select locations for runway construction based on minimal engineer effort and are looking at how construction equipment can be more efficiently used by using GPS (global positioning system) on board construction equipment to give real time data.
“Our work with the military was truly a teaming process between the U.S. government and the private sector. We were able to quickly adapt a commercial application for military purposes,” said Hawkins.
“Our number one priorty is protecting our soldiers,” said Rushing. “The development of the Wolverine offers another solution to better equip our military to defeat the enemy in any environment.”
Article by Sonnhalter, Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, E-Business.
Published in the Army Engineer – 2005 March-April, page 55.