ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Nov. 25, 2015) -- The U.S. and Japanese militaries are improving combat-vehicle battery research through partnerships, according to officials.
The countries have a mutual interest in batteries to improve performance, reduce weight and save money on sustainment and logistics, said David Skalny, a computer engineer with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
With a recent one-for-one exchange of U.S. and Japanese engineers, the countries are gaining knowledge by working alongside their counterparts.
"It was a synergistic opportunity and cohesive experience. We had a direct, one-to-one correlation and connection between the two teams within the same technical area," Skalny said.
Skalny worked in Japan's Ground Systems Research Center from August 2014 to June 2015 as a participant in the Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program. He worked for seven months with his Japanese ESEP colleague, Dr. Yoichi Takeda, who began his U.S. assignment in April 2015.
Takeda is contributing to TARDEC in battery-pack simulation, which can evaluate battery capability and life span for manned and unmanned vehicle platforms. To successfully develop his battery models, Takeda is learning modeling program software and studying basic theory.
The opportunity for ESEP participants to overlap in teams, technology area and timing is rare but beneficial in fostering relationships, Skalny said.
Moving from conventional low-voltage lead-acid batteries to lithium-ion batteries will lead to several benefits for the Army, Skalny said. Weight savings and cycle life are the most prominent advantages.
"We can use the batteries many more times for many more cycles before we have to replace them. We get reduced sustainment costs," he said. "Since the battery has a higher energy density, we'll be able to get longer operation.
"With the traditional lead-acid battery, there is no internal way within the battery to compute its state of charge so you know how much energy is left during use. With the lithium ion battery, it has it as a built-in function. We can replace two lead-acid batteries with one lithium-ion battery."
The U.S. Army has an existing hybrid-electric project agreement with Japan.
"We're able to leverage better testing advancements from each side. We'll be able to follow a common framework with which to assess our hybrid-electric vehicles," Skalny said. "We have a common interest in making sure the lithium-ion batteries are safe. I worked on battery-abuse testing and bullet-penetration testing.
"I did battery modeling and simulation for testing to calculate the state of charge of lithium batteries."
Having a good baseline understanding of the Japanese language helped with the transition to life in Japan, and his improved skills will assist in future meetings and partnerships, Skalny said.
"I studied Japanese for four years in college. My Japanese colleagues had a good level of English proficiency, so it worked out quite well," he said. "I could grow my language skills in Japanese and help them with English."
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Mid-career level Army engineers and scientists in Career Program 16 can apply through ESEP to work with an American ally for a year, with the possibility of an extension. Applicants may arrange for an assignment from one of 16 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Chile.
ESEP participants should be in General Schedule pay grades 12 through 14 (or equivalent) at the time of deployment, hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have at least four years of technical experience in industry or military/government.
Selection is based on the following criteria: technology area, host country of interest, candidate profile, merits of assignment/position description, quality of application, foreign language capability (as applicable) and command endorsement.
For information on ESEP, visit the link in the right column, or contact Sandy Young at sandra.k.young26.civ@mail.mil.
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The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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