This project will identify a toolset which can be used by forward deployed Marines to assess structural damage to combat vehicles hulls following IED events. Improving the quality of Battle Damage Assessment in the field will reduce safety risk from vehicles returned to service without inspection, improve vehicle availability for vehicles unnecessarily sent to higher echelon for repair, as well as reducing cost for unnecessary returns or improperly scrapped equipment. In the Phase I project, Evisive will identify combinations of COTS and novel equipment which can be organized in a Toolset suitable for conduct of a Battle Damage Assessment and Repair (BDAR) inspection in a field environment. Evisive will work with the Marine Corps to identify target vehicles and armor systems, and will evaluate NDE technologies based on failure characteristics mutually established with the Marine Corps. Evisive will develop a specification, conceptual design, and plan to develop and test a toolset for post-IED hull inspection in the field. In addition to effective detection of the failure characteristics in individual materials, the tools must have ruggedness appropriate to forward deployment field use; user training requirements compatible with vehicle crew skills; and, applicability in adverse conditions including coatings and debris.
Keywords: Nde, Nde, Hull Integrity, Survivability Inspection, Battle Damage Assessment
