Lightweight Motors for Future Combat Systems

The Lightweight Motors program will allow larger copper die cast rotors to support mobile, as well as non mobile military applications. In addition, this lightweight motor offers weight savings, simplicity and increased reliability to replace mechanical hydraulic actuators of sub-systems for the powering of these movements with fast acting electric motors. The copper rotor motor should be an ideal candidate for this duty, because in addition to the space and weight savings, a die cast copper rotor has the mechanical rigidity at the very high rotational speeds required that cannot be reached by aluminum designs, or even with the brazed fabricated copper rotor approach.

Copper die cast rotor induction motors offer the Army a lower cost, environmentally friendly, and more reliable materials for military weapon applications, involving rotor motors, induction motors and actuator systems. The Lightweight Motors program uses a collaborative approach to develop, demonstrate and deploy applications of copper based alloys to meet primary program objectives and have versatile applications relevant to other defense systems. Leveraging copper's unique physical and material properties, this program is accomplishing these objectives by building on new and successfully demonstrated technologies to develop and test electrical motors, distribution components and other non electrical copper alloy hardware.

Phase I

The program team will design, build and test incrementally larger, lighter weight motors using advanced copper based rotor die casting and related technologies for industrial and defense applications. In addition to scaling cast copper rotor designs, the program team will demonstrate the advantages of substituting cast copper rotors in aerospace electrical motors currently using fabricated copper rotors and further the development of technology for advanced actuators for aerospace applications.

Phase II

Building on Phase I results, the team will identify a legacy motor design that currently uses a fabricated rotor and redesign the larger induction motor with a copper die cast rotor. Because variable speed motors will be typical in vehicle systems for control of system actuators and for vehicle propulsion, this Phase is critical to determining the viability of these technologies.

Phase III

Based on the results of Phase II efforts, the program will fabricate a large (up to 250HP with up to 200 pounds of copper) motor using a die cast copper rotor and perform detailed laboratory and field testing. Subsequent applications will be identified, designed, built and tested as part of Phase III efforts.

Goal

A key element of the program is the development and implementation of a strategy to deploy the developed copper die cast technologies throughout the defense supply chain.

The information reported on this website was developed in connection with contract/instrument W911QX-08-D-0008 with the Army Research Laboratory. The views and conclusions contained in this web site are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as presenting the official policies or position, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory or the U.S. Government unless so designated by other authorized documents. Citation of the manufacturer's or trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use thereof. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding and copyright notation thereon.