Aluminum Armor Plate Good Enough for HumveesAluminum Armor Plate Good Enough for Humvees

The US Army Research Lab has specified Alcoa's latest armor material for use on US military vehicles. After testing Alcoa's ArmX 5456-H151 armor plate on the Army's Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) vehicle, the lab found that it is stronger than baseline weldable armor plate and has better blast and ballistic performance.

Alcoa's aluminum and armor products have been used in military vehicles for decades, including Humvees and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The ArmX brand of weldable aluminum alloy armor plate was developed originally for aerospace applications, and is known for strength and toughness in both plate and forgings. The materials are based on the proprietary 7085 alloy. Their thermal and forging properties are tailored to survive blasts better and to weigh a lot less than steel armor made for similar levels of blast-threat survivability. The new material was found to be 20 percent stronger than the baseline 5083-H131 alloy plate material, said Mark Vrablec, Alcoa's president of global aerospace, transportation, and industrial rolled products, in a press release.