A team of scientists behind the development of innovative
vehicle armour manufacturing techniques and materials has been awarded the 2013 Defence Science and Technology
Organisation Eureka Prize for Outstanding
Science in Safeguarding Australia.
The $10,000 prize was presented at the Australian Museum Eureka Prize awards function in Sydney by the
Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex
Zelinsky.
Sponsored by the DSTO, the prize recognises outstanding
science in support of Defence or national security.
“I congratulate the team on their award and commend them for
their role in helping protect our Defence personnel against blast and ballistic threats,” Dr
Zelinsky said.
The team, comprising scientists and engineers from
universities, industry and research agencies across Australia, is collaborating
on the Armour Applications Program
under the auspices of the Defence
Materials Technology Centre (DMTC).
The program is looking at ways to reduce weight, increase
mobility and improve the carrying capacity of vehicles, while providing
superior vehicle and personnel protection.
“In addition to researching new protective materials, the
team is exploring ways to optimise manufacturing techniques to ensure that
Australian defence industry can deliver high quality products at an
internationally competitive price,” Dr Zelinsky said.
The team has already achieved significant results, including
the development of a new welding process that has potential to reduce welding
time by about a third and consumables by half, while maintaining joint
integrity equivalent to the current industry standard.
“Thanks to the work of this team, Australia will retain an
in-country capability to design and manufacture high performance protected mobility vehicles,” Dr
Zelinsky said.
The program involves scientists and engineers from the University of Wollongong, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Thales, Bisalloy and Bluescope Steel
and the Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation.
Dr Zelinsky said the collaboration of these participating
organisations had been crucial in successfully transitioning fundamental and
innovative scientific research into engineering solutions for the Australian
Defence Force.