From keeping Australian troops safe from explosions, to ensuring military vehicles can maintain flexibility on damaged roads, the Armour Applications Program of the Defence Materials Technology Centre has pioneered high-performance materials.
The team’s collaborative research has used computer modelling, explosives, high-speed cameras and new welding techniques to develop technologies and systems with improved blast performance, reduced weight and greater flexibility.
“These new materials and manufacturing techniques are already protecting Australian troops in Afghanistan,” the director of the Australian Museum, Frank Howarth, says.
For their contributions to safety and performance, the Armour Applications Program has won the 2013 Australian Museum Defence Science and Technology Organisation Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia.