Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/337874
E EDGE OF TECH 44 JUNE/JULY 2014 www.vanguardcanada.com Dr. Andrew Johnston is NRC's Program Leader for the Security Materials Technology research program. Dr. Kevin Williams is DRDC's Scientific Advisor to the Soldier Program and to the Security Materials Technology research program. More effective, mobile and lighter When it comes to protecting Canada's military personnel and first responders, only the best in equipment and armour will pass the stringent standards require- ments of the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada's regulatory bodies. Transformational materials technolo- gies offer the opportunity to push be- yond the current performance limits of conventional engineered materials, such as aramid fabric/polymer matrix compos- ites. However, developing such new ma- terials, manufacturing them, proving their performance, and successfully integrating them into cost-effective armour requires significant R&D capability, time and fi- nancial investment. Canada's armoured vehicle and personal protective equip- ment (PPE) industry is globally competi- tive now, yet few individual companies have the capacity to sustain pace with in- ternational developments in this field. To close the gap between advanced armour materials and real-world applica- tions, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) have teamed up on a new joint initiative. The Security Materials Technology research program will work with Canadian com- panies to revolutionize protective equip- ment through the application of disrup- tive new materials technologies. Over the seven-year program, NRC and DRDC will work in close partnership with the Canadian security materials and manufacturing industry to develop and transition advanced armour materials and structures that will impact the full security materials value chain, from constituent materials such as carbon nanotubes, to hy- brid and nano-modified engineered mate- rials, through to armour components and armour systems for vehicles and PPE. The program aims to reduce time-to- market and reduce the weight of protective equipment by at least 25 percent, without compromising on protection. These en- hancements will improve the protection and mobility for soldiers, security person- nel and first responders, which will save Canadian lives and improve operational effectiveness. Working with NRC and DRDC, col- laborating companies will have access to world-class expertise in advanced protec- tion system design, prototype production and testing, including advanced nano-en- gineered and hybrid materials processing and performance validation. Winning partnership NRC is Canada's national industry-focused research and technology organization, and a trusted partner with world-class scien- tific, engineering and technology develop- ment capability. DRDC is Canada's national leader in de- fence and security science and technology, providing the CAF and other government departments as well as the public safety and national security communities with the knowledge and technologies needed to de- fend and protect Canada's interests at home and abroad. DRDC hosts world-class capa- bilities in design, testing and performance Armour revolution: validation of vehicle and personal protec- tion systems. The close alignment of NRC and DRDC objectives in the area of security materials has driven strategic overlap between the two organizations in recent years. Both benefit by combining their unique and complementary resources and capabilities in the development of advanced ballistic materials. In May 2014, NRC and DRDC signed an extension to their existing Memorandum of Understanding, formalizing their partner- ship in jointly undertaking the Security Ma- terials Technology research program. The program goal is "made in Canada" solutions that will sustain and significantly enhance the global competitive position of this Canadian industry sector, while si- multaneously providing top quality gear to Canadian military, first responder and security personnel. If you are a Canadian company special- izing in advanced structural materials, ve- hicle or personal protective armour prod- ucts, we invite you to contact us to explore how to apply the unique capabilities of the Security Materials Technology research program to advance your technology de- velopment and business goals. Photo: MCpl Kevin Paul NRC has recently developed a new tech- nology for producing boron nitride nano- tubes (BNNT) that is 100 times faster than existing methods and scalable to mass production. This remarkable material could impact many key industry sectors including aerospace, automotive, energy, construction, and even health therapies. The first major focus is aligned with the Security Materials Technology research program: to develop BNNT in advanced engineered materials for light weight poly- mer or ceramic armours. Next-generation materials