Conceptual design and operation testing of military movable noiseless power supplier (MNPS)

This study verifies the concept and test of the MNPS owing to the increase in advanced weapon systems used in the Korean defense field. MNPS used solar power to eliminate noise, a risk factor of the existing power supply systems, and it was designed in a size that can be mounted on a small tactical vehicle in various battlefield situations. When sunlight is used as a power supplier, in case there is no light, its use is limited; therefore, it can be used after charging through an energy storage device. In addition, it was designed considering scalability to increase the amount of electricity generated through the solar panel or increase the storage capacity. Finally, the power characteristics were analyzed through a test to determine if the output was constant, and through this, it was possible to confirm its feasibility of use for military purposes.

A novel blast-mitigation concept for light tactical vehicles

Purpose A new concept solution for improving blast survivability of the light tactical military vehicles is proposed and critically assessed using computational engineering methods and tools. Design/methodology/approach The solution is inspired by the principle of operation of the rocket-engine nozzles, in general and the so called “pulse detonation” rocket engines, in particular, and is an extension of the recently introduced so-called “blast chimney” concept (essentially a vertical channel connecting the bottom and the roof and passing through the cabin of a light tactical vehicle). Relative to the blast-chimney concept, the new solution offers benefits since it does not compromise the cabin space or the ability of the vehicle occupants to scout the environment and, is not expected to, degrade the vehicle’s structural durability/reliability. The proposed concept utilizes side vent channels attached to the V-shaped vehicle underbody whose geometry is optimized with respect to the attainment of the maximum downward thrust on the vehicle. In the course of the channel design optimization, analytical and computational analyses of supersonic flow (analogous to the one often used in the case of the pulse detonation engine) are employed. Findings The preliminary results obtained reveal the beneficial effects of the side channels in reducing the blast momentum, although the extent of these effects is quite small (2-4 per cent). Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, the present work is the first exploration of the side-vent-channels concept for mitigating the effect of buried-mine explosion on a light tactical vehicle.