WSU-NIAR diversifies digital twin program with ground vehicle

Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) recently received delivery of two M-113 armored personnel carriers from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) - taking it's growing digital twin portfolio to new levels.

The M-113 A3's, a Vietnam-era vehicle, were recently transported from Sierra Army Depot in Northern California and delivered to a NIAR facility north of Wichita, Kans. One of the vehicles will be dismantled, scanned, reverse-engineered, and digitally reassembled. The other will undergo full-scale structural testing to validate engineering models built by NIAR, ultimately increasing readiness and reducing sustainment costs across the fleet. 

Due to an anticipated 80 percent or greater part commonality between the M-113 A3 and other variants, engineers will modeling unique parts using available engineering technical data in absence of a physical part. The program - which includes modeling master twins of all four variants, developing engineering models, conducting full-scale tests, and validating engineering models - is expected to take two years.