SBIR-STTR Award

XCraft, along with its team partner KaZaK Composites, propose to develop and produce an innovative, low cost, pultrusion-based matting for soil stabilization applications. Developmental impetus for these novel mat structures is based on a need for improved mobility of heavy tracked and wheeled vehicles over soft expeditionary terrain. Proposed improvements are focused on exceeding the current paradigm of soft soil matting technology in terms of soil stabilization performance, cost, durability and implementation expediency. Working with KaZaK, XCraft will develop and analyze several innovative matting technology candidates based on the application of advanced embedded and non-embedded textile composite structures, utilizing novel matrix and reinforcing materials such as carbon and glass fiber. Composite materials offer enormous flexibility in constituency, allowing optimization of mechanical, physical and chemical performance requirements using material and manufacturing cost as a design variable. Pultrusion will be employed to ultimately produce matting at anomalously high through-put and acceptable low cost. Optimizing each candidate concept for automated production via pultrusion will ensure low cost in production. XCraft and KaZaK have significant experience working together to develop novel composite systems for harsh military environments. Phase I will include both analysis and hardware demonstration.

Benefit:
The proposed program will demonstrate a generic cost effective framework for producing soil stabilization systems in numerous expeditionary and remote terrain applications. In addition to the obvious military benefits, such work has pervasive application for commercial and industrial vehicles, machinery, equipment, personnel, and structures used in soft soil environments. Construction zones and hazardous material sites are two such environments where heavy vehicles, equipment, and personnel are required to traverse harsh soft soil conditions. Additional applications include remote emergency rescue, temporary parking lots, disaster relief, logging roads, and shoreline and oilfield roads.

Keywords:
California Bearing Ratio, California Bearing Ratio, Expeditionary Road Construction, Soft soil traversing , Pultrusion, Shoreline Roadways, Soil stabilization systems ,, Automated Manufacturing, Pultruded matting

XCraft Incorporated along with its team partner KaZaK Composites, Inc propose to develop and produce an innovative, low cost and pultrusion-based matting for soil stabilization applications. Developmental impetus for novel mat structures is based on an improved mobility need for heavily armored vehicles over soft soil expeditionary terrain. In Phase 1, XCraft down-selected WAVTRAC [wayv-trak] from several proposed candidates and demonstrated equivalent wheel loading capability / rut depth with up to 30% easier roll-up effort compared to the MOMAT baseline. Rigorous sub-element testing along with analytical and numerical models were used to demonstrate WAVTRAC capabilities for temperatures between -25F and 125F with good success. WAVTRAC, a semi-rigid 3-D undulated composite, is a similar but geometrically unique improvement of MOMAT, with easier roll-up, reduced handling abrasion, better UV durability, and lower cost. With a near-complete matting design from Phase 1, Phase 2 will emphasize rigorous sample testing for various sizes, sub-scale pultrusion manufacturing, and full scale pultrusion manufacturing. Pultrusion is the lowest cost composite manufacturing process with high throughput (feet/minute), capable of $7/ft^2 -$15/ft^2 matting Phase 3 cost. Four, 14ft x 60ft WAVTRAC demonstrative articles will be manufactured by the end of Phase 2 and delivered to MCSC for field testing.

Benefit:
The proposed program will demonstrate a generic cost effective framework for producing soil stabilization systems in numerous expeditionary and remote terrain applications. In addition to the obvious military benefits, such work has pervasive application for commercial and industrial vehicles, machinery, equipment, personnel, and structures used in soft soil environments. Construction zones and hazardous material sites are two such environments where heavy vehicles, equipment, and personnel are required to traverse harsh soft soil conditions. Additional applications include remote emergency rescue, temporary parking lots, disaster relief, and shoreline roads.

Keywords:
Soft Soil Traversing, Pultruded matting, Pultrusion, Expeditionary Roadways, Expeditionary Road Construction, Soil Stabilization Systems, Composite Matting, WAVTRAC, Shoreline Roadways