Capability through collaboration

29 October, 2012

Personnel Survivability Overview

Mark Hodge - CEO

Vision & Mission• Vision:

Provide technology solutions enabling industry to enhance Australian Defence capability.

• Mission:DMTC will lead, facilitate and manage cooperative research in the defence sector in materials, manufacturing & related themes, with the Defence customer, industry and research sector as key stakeholders.

• Strategic Intent:• CAPABILITY THROUGH COLLABORATION

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Background• Defence Materials Technology Centre – DMTC Ltd.

• 1st Defence Future Capability Technology Centre (DFCTC) est. by Defence

• Business model based on the successful CRC program

• Funded for an initial period of 7 years from June, 2008• Core: $90M program ($30M - Defence, $8M - States, $52M – Participants)• Additional $20M program in Personnel Survivability - activity through 2016

• Staff level ~75 FTE (10 HQ) around 130 headcount (with Program 7 at full rate)

• Major activities across NSW, QLD, SA & Victoria (HQ in Melbourne)

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Personnel Survivability Partners

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Program-Technology Matrix

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repair for Al alloys  & composites

& component systems integration

New/Lean manufacturing & Component Performance Modeling, Simulation & Validation

Prognostics, detection & 

New generation

composite

materials & manufacturing processes

Robotics, automation & lean

manufacturing

Titanium component fabrication and

AIR PLATFORMS

MARITIME PLATFORMS

ARMOUR APPLICATIONS

PROPULSION SYSTEMS

PERSONNEL SURVIVABILITY

Maintenance, sustainment & support technologies (corrosion, fatigue, FOD, materials upgrade etc.)

repair technologies

Materials & 

New ferritic materials & joining technologies Textile tech.

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• Activities– Pelvic Protection Systems

– Integrated Hearing Protection

– Individual Water Purification

– Combat Helmets

– Anthropometric study of personnel across Army

– Development of an ADF standard for ballistic resistance of body armour

– Developing concept technologies with DMTC Program 7

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Program Goals

• Improve level of personnel protection for armed and support personnel

• ↓

weight, bulk, cost etc.• ↑

multi-insult capability (blast/ballistic, agent protection)

• ↓

signature (visible/IR/radar), adaptive/broadband materials• ↑

utility & fit (design integration, power management, anthropometry, load carriage,

thermal management, etc.)

• Provide a path to field consistent with ADF acquisition requirements

• Address utilisation “valley of death”• Practical enhancement of protection and/or performance of soldier/personnel

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Participants

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Universities (4)

Research Orgs. (3)

Industry / End User (7)

Technology Areas

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Technology Areas Outcomes

1 Hard Armour Systems Manufacturing of ceramic plate inserts and semi‐rigid 

panels for torso and head protection

2 Soft Armour Systems Fabrics with reduced weight and improved ballistic 

performance for body armour

3 Advanced Fabric Technologies Fabric and garment technologies to improve strength, 

comfort and service life of combat clothing.

4 Power Generation and Management Soldier‐borne power generation, storage ,distribution and 

management systems

5 New Concepts Future integration planning and concept development

Project OverviewProject Objective

1.1 Ceramic Armour Technology Demonstration of a small scale production of ceramic body 

armour plate using press and sinter technology

1.2 High Curvature Armour 

SystemsDevelopment and demonstration of a pilot manufacturing cell 

capable of producing 40 helmets per pay utilising the Double 

Diaphragm Deep Drawing process.

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Project Overview

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Project Objective

2.1 Improved Anti‐Ballistic Soft 

ArmourDevelopment of innovative, light‐weight fabric structures with 

superior anti‐ballistic performance for body armour applications

Project Overview

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Project Objective

3.1 High Strength Fabrics for 

Combat ClothingDevelopment of a proof‐of‐concept garment with improved 

strength, comfort and service life performance.

3.2 Material Systems 

Engineering for improved 

Habitability

Development of material treatments to improve comfort, 

physiological and protective features of combat clothing.

Project Overview

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Project Objective

4.1 Portable Power Generation 

and StorageDemonstration of proof‐of‐concept in nano‐fibre power 

generation, high energy density battery storage and portable 

fuel cell power supply for soldier bourne applications

Summary

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Initial 

Stakeholder 

Meeting Held

Project 

Proposals 

Submitted to 

DMTC

Project 

Proposals 

Shortlisted

by 

Diggerworks

Project Kick‐

off Meetings  

Completed

TWBs

Reviewed 

and 

Approved by 

ACIB

Draft Project 

Plans and 

Budgets 

Submitted

Finalise 

Project Plans 

and Budgets

Finalise 

Project 

Agreements

Authorisatio

n to 

Commence 

Projects

Amendment to 

Commonwealth 

Agreement