Accelerating Technology Transition Bridging the Valley of Death for Materials and Processes in Defense Systems (2004) / Chapter Skim
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2 Methodologies and Approaches
2 Methodologies and Approaches
Pages 24-33
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From page 24... ...
This attitude within the DoD that so heavily penalizes failure and does not provide appropriate rewards for success breeds a culture that is, by nature, averse to transitioning new technology very rapidly, or at all. According to workshop presenters, the contrast in riskreward structures between military and industrial customers is most apparent in companies that have interacted both with the DoD and with commercial customers.
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From page 25... ...
With fear of failure and its accompanying penalty as a key barrier to moving forward with new technologies in military systems, far less focus is placed on the potential gains to be realized should a technology be successful in the long run. For almost every new technology awaiting insertion, there is a conservative fallback solution that has lower performance, but a much lower risk of failure.
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From page 26... ...
This process involves quick, iterative development cycles and prototyping of materials and products; free, open communication with all stakeholders; agile manufacturing processes;3 and realistic modeling of materials and processes, system performance, and cost. Quick, Iterative Development Cycles and Prototyping From the perspective of several industries, iterative processes for research, product development, marketing, manufacturing, and accounting are necessary, and they must be done in close consultation, if not actual collaboration, with potential customers.
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From page 27... ...
Aluminum pylon ribs for the F-15 Strike Eagle were failing prematurely and were in low supply owing to use of the fighters in Iraq. The LAM process was used to manufacture ship sets made from titanium in only 2 months, meeting the increased demand for aircraft mission availability, improving aircraft safety, and extending the pylon part life by a factor of five.
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From page 28... ...
Modeling of Materials and Processes, System Performance, and Cost Agile manufacturing processes are not possible for many materials and applications. Robert Schafrik, of GE Aircraft Engines, described the ramifications of having to scale up processes from initial feasibility studies through manufacturing.
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From page 29... ...
In the areas of polymer science and catalysis, combinatorial research methods have dramatically reduced the time and cost necessary to identify and optimize new materials for applications as diverse as polymer coatings for marine structures and organic scaffolds for tissue engineering. New, high-throughput measurement methods are being developed for a wide range of organic and inorganic systems that could accelerate the selection of the best materials for a specific application, as well as stimulate the development of a deeper fundamental understanding of new materials and their properties.8 There is a strikingly effective tool for aiding the insertion of high-performance, multifunctional materials in America's Cup sailboats and Formula 1 racing cars -- it is system-level software that quantifies how system performance changes with the insertion of new materials in new designs.
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From page 30... ...
The benefits of the successful functionality approach, known at Moog as concurrent engineering-plus, were described by Richard Aubrecht of Moog in his contrast of two separate business models for different markets served by Moog: Formula 1 race car teams and the military aerospace market (see Table 2.1)
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From page 31... ...
The success of committed, multidisciplinary teams implementing iterative prototyping and working to functional requirements rather than to specification was brought up with respect to many different industries and in many different forms throughout the workshop. From Formula 1 race cars to America's Cup sailboats to aircraft, this approach needs to be based on parallel, iterative development processes, with rapid information dispersal that is described as the viral spread of information (whereby any new knowledge is infectious and is instantaneously dispersed throughout the team, and is self-propagating throughout the development process)
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From page 32... ...
the establishment of enterprises similar to Skunk Works, that is, committed multidisciplinary teams led by champions who inspire and motivate the teams toward specific goals; (2) team determination to make the technology succeed and be profitable, including convincing the customers that they need the technology; (3)
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From page 33... ...
METHODOLOGIES AND APPROACHES 33 technologies from concept to implementation. · Develop a viral process, one that is infectious and self-propagating, for technology development through the quick, iterative prototyping of materials and products, with free and open communication; agile manufacturing processes; and effective modeling of materials, processes, system performance, and cost; · Work to functional requirements rather than to specifications; and · Develop a flexible mechanism for creating and recreating successful teams as new systems are envisioned.
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