A monthly house bulletin of Defence Research & Development Organisation Vol. 31 No.

7 July 2011
ISSN : 0971-4413
BULLETIN OF DEFENCE RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION
Vol. 22 No. 2 April 2014
A
rmoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs)
play an important role in any war
scenario. Particularly, the Main Battle Tank
(MBT) being the highly survivable and lethal
combat vehicle, play as a game-changer in
confict situations worldwide.
Combat Vehicles Research and
Development Establishment
(CVRDE), a constituent
l abor at or y
of DRDO in
Chennai, is
e n g a g e d
in design
and development of armoured fghting vehicles
and specialised vehicles to enhance the combat
capabilities of the Indian Army. Apart from design
and development of the most prestigious product
Arjun MBT, CVRDE has developed various
tracked vehicles and associated technologies
and sub-systems for AFV applications.
This special issue of Technology
Focus brings out an overview of some
of the technologies
and sub-systems
developed by
CVRDE for AFV
applications.
Indigenous Technologies and Sub-systems
for Armoured Fighting Vehicles
2 April 2014
From the Desk of Guest Editor
Arjun MBT is a fagship
product of CVRDE. The other
armoured vehicles developed
by CVRDE, which have gone
into production are: Armoured
Patrol Car, Armoured Recovery
Vehicle, 130 mm SP gunCatapult
on Vijayanta, Carrier Mortar
Tracked Vehicle, Carrier Command Post Tracked and
Missile Carrier Vehicle for Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP) on BMP-II,
Bridge Layer Tank (BLT-72), Combat Improved Ajeya
and Armoured Ambulance. CVRDE has successfully
developed Unmanned Ground Vehicle based on
BMP-II platform for surveillance, NBC reconnaissance
and mine detection purposes. During late eighties,
CVRDE designed and developed Aircraft Mounted
Accessory Gear Box (AMAGB), Aircraft Bearings, PTO
Shaft, 5 kW Brushless DC Generator and Hydraulic
Filters for LCA Tejas. CVRDE has also enhanced its
infrastructure through creation of test facilities for
engine and suspension systems of AFVs, state-of-
the-art EMI/EMC Test Facility as per latest standards
and has developed Training Simulators for Arjun
MBT Drivers and Gunners.
Arjun MBT, the brain-child of CVRDE, has
been designed to meet Army's most stringent
requirements and provides high mobility, superior
frepower, enhanced protection and crew comfort.
Two regiments of Arjun MBT Mk-I have been
inducted into Army. Based on the expertise gained,
Arjun MBT Mk-II has been developed with enhanced
performance which includes Missile Firing Capability,
Improved Commanders Panoramic Sight, Track
Width Mine Plough, Automatic Target Tracking,
Power Driven Air Defense Gun, Advanced Running
Gear System, Final Drive with reduction ratio, and
Improved Slip Ring. The improved performance of
Arjun MBT Mk-II has been successfully demonstrated
to the user.
On the technological front, CVRDE has excelled in
a gamut of technologies related to Combat Systems
which include In-Vehicle Networking with Multi-
Bus Architecture, Inter Vehicle Information System,
Electronic Fuel Injection System, Commanders
Panoramic Sight, Advanced Fire Control Computer,
Laser Warning and Countermeasure System,
Digital Image Exploitation System for the driver
including Stereo Vision, Image Fusion and Map
display, Indigenous Fiber Optic Gyros and ATE
for Compact Electronics Unit, All Electric Drive,
400 hp Electronically Controlled Power pack for
BMP-II. CVRDE is currently working on projects such
as Arjun Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle
(Arjun ARRV) and Armoured Vehicle Engineering
(AVE). The establishment is spearheading the
National Mission Project for Development of
1500 hp Engine and Transmission.
Technology Focus is the medium through which
we get the opportunity to create awareness about
the technologies developed by DRDO. A special
issue on Indigenous Armoured Tracked Vehicles
was brought out in June 2011. This issue gives an
overview of some of the technologies developed for
AFV applications by CVRDE.

Dr P Sivakumar
Outstanding Scientist
Director, CVRDE
3 April 2014
Air Cleaning System for Armoured
Fighting Vehicle
In Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV), the space is at
premium especially in the engine compartment. The
powerpack of an AFV consists of an engine coupled with
transmission and peripheral systems like cooling system,
air fltering system, and under armour fuel tanks. Even
though the air cleaning system is a static system, it is
important as well as critical for the better performance
of the engine. While in of-highway terrains, the dust
contents in the atmospheric air are of the order of
1 mg/m
3
to 40 mg/m
3
, in the desert it is considered
to be in the order 2000 mg/m
3
. Moreover, ambient
temperature in the desert terrain is often around
50
o
C. Thus requirement of air fltration in desert
terrains is enormous and the air fltering system of the
AFV should flter down the air to 3-5 microns in order to
supply clean air to its engine. Also, air fltration system
of an AFV shall flter the combustion air up to a specifed
level, provide maximum efciency, ofer lesser pressure
drop, extract positive dust so that engine works to its
optimum level. CVRDE has developed the following air
fltration systems:
Air Filtration System for T-72 Base Engine
The two-stage air fltration system of a T-72
base engine consists of a primary cyclone flter and a
secondary barrier flter element. While the primary flter
is with reverse fow cyclones, secondary flter is a wet-
type wire wool cartridges. A pressure sensor indicates
the status of contamination in the drivers panel. The
dust collected from the primary cyclone flter is drawn
by exhaust scavenging.
Air Filtration System for Up-rated T-72
Engine
CVRDE has up-rated the power output of the
T-72 engine from 780 hp to 1000 hp by modifying
the peripheral sub-systems. Development of under
armour air fltration system for up-rated T-72 engine
was taken up with the help of Indian industry. The
air fltration system of the up-rated T-72 consists
of a primary flter with unidirectional fow cyclones
and a disposable secondary flter with dry-type resin
impregnated or equivalent paper flter elements.
The air fltration system has been confgured within
the available space in T-72 engine compartment and
consists of the following major components: primary
cyclone flter assembly; secondary flter elements; flter
housing assembly; scavenge fan assembly with cable
and duct; and diferential pressure sensor and status
indicator.
The Primary cyclone flter, the pre flter with
unidirectional fow cyclones, flters heavier dust
particles. The secondary flter elements flter the air
Figure 1. Primary filter
up to 3 microns with an over all efciency of 99.99 per
cent. The combat flter is easily replaceable/cleanable.
Primary cyclone flter and secondary flter elements
are housed in a flter housing assembly. Scavenge
fan assembly with cable and ducta positive dust
extraction system consisting of an axial fan driven by
an electric motorremoves the heavier dust particles
fltered by the primary cyclonic flters. Diferential
4 April 2014
pressure sensor and status indicator sense and indicate
the pressure drop across the air fltering system in the
drivers panel.
Choking condition of the secondary air flter
elements is indicated by the signal provided by the
vacuum switch, which operates at the prescribed
limit. Full load running is possible only by cleaning the
secondary air flter elements or by replacement of the
elements.
Technical Specifcations: Air fltration System of
Up-rated 1000 hp Engine
Air flter type : Dry
Number of stages : Two
Primary flter : Uni-fow cyclones
Cyclone material : High density poly
propylene
Airborne dust
concentration : 2 gm/m
3
Dust extraction : Positive dust extractor
fan 28 V, 40 amps DC
Purge rate : 10 per cent of main
fow
Secondary flter : Resin impregnated
element paper flter or
equivalent
Surface area of
flter paper : 40 m
2
Least particle size : 3 microns absolute
to be fltered
Air fow rate : 1.33 kg/s
Filtration efciency : 99.99 per cent
(SAE Coarse)
Pressure drop : Clean air 250 mm WG
After choking 760 mm WG
Figure 3. Assembly Air Cleaner
Figure 4. Scavenge fan assembly
Figure 2. Secondary filter installed in casing
5 April 2014
The air fltration system with up-rated 1000 hp
engine has been integrated in T-72 vehicle and trial
evaluated for more than 2000 km for satisfactory
performance.
Figure 5. Air filtration system integrated in vehicle
Cooling System for AFVs
Armoured fghting vehicles are powered by high
specifc output diesel engines. To dissipate the heat
rejected by engine coolant, engine oil, and charge air
and transmission oil, compact cooling system is used in
modern AFVs. AFVs in India, often operate at ambient
temperature higher than 50C. Space is premium in
AFVs as any increase in volume of the sub-systems
will lead to increase in weight. Therefore proper
confguration and design and development of cooling
system for AFVs is very critical.
Cooling system of an AFV dissipates the rejected
heat at all operating temperature. The pressure drop
through the system has to be kept minimum to reduce
the pressure head developed by the coolant pump and
cooling fans, which should be efcient to reduce the
power consumed by it.
Development of cooling system for operation
in Indian environment is a very challenging task.
CVRDE has established technology for confguring
and developing cooling system for AFV applications.
Number of compact aluminum plate and fn matrices
with higher heat transfer surface area per unit volume
have been developed and adopted in various heat
exchangers utilising the infrastructure and expertise
available within India.
The cooling system has to meet the cooling
requirement up to 55C. The aluminium plate and
fn matrix used by CVRDE for the cooling system
has higher heat transfer area per unit volume up to
1800 m
2
/m
3
compared to that used in commercial
vehicles (1100 m
2
/m
3
). The fow rate and head required
by the fan is very high for a given volume, hence
efcient and high speed cooling fans have been used.
To reduce the pressure drop in cooling air, ducted
cooling system has been adopted as it also enables the
vehicle to undergo medium fording.
Due to space limitations, it is not possible to
provide cooling capacity up to 55C. Hence to
control thermal load on cooling system, CVRDE has
incorporated automatic power regulation based on
coolant temperature at higher ambient temperature.
In modern AFVs, heat exchangers like engine oil
cooler, charge air cooler, transmission oil coolers are
placed inside the powerpack compartment and are
cooled by coolant. Only radiators are placed on the top
of the powerpack and are cooled by the atmospheric air.
CVRDE has developed variety of compact aluminium
plate and fn matrices for application in indigenous
powerpack. Multi-louvered fn and ofset strip fn
(parallel) with heat transfer area per unit volume in the
range 1100-1700 m
2
/m
3
have been developed. The
6 April 2014
following heat exchangers have been developed
using these fns:
A 720 x 880 x 120 mm radiator with 380 kW heat a
dissipation capacity
A 430 x 280 x 210 mm charge air cooler with 150 kW a
heat dissipation capacity
A 500 x 200 x 76 mm LH and RH transmission oil a
cooler with 75 kW heat dissipation capacity of
each
A 325 x 225 x 50 mm fuel cooler with 10 kW heat a
dissipation capacity
evaluated and optimised
in both test rig and
vehicle.
This compact cooling
system technology can
also be adopted for civil
and aircraft applications
where volume and weight
is very critical.
Cooling System for T-72 Variants
Developing cooling systems, especially for the
engines of AFVs, to meet the rigorous environmental
conditions of high temperature and dust, have always
been challenging to Indian AFV technologists. Projects
connected with T-72, like Bridge Laying Tank (BLT) T-72,
1000 hp engine upgrade and Ex Tank, have necessitated
optimally designed higher capacity cooling systems
within the same spatial envelope of T-72 powerpack
confguration.
The radiators and engine oil coolers, the cooling
fan and the cooling water pump combined with the
ballistic grills for air flow are the key aggregates/
components of the system. The indigenously
developed cooling system components would
go into the regular series production of BLT
T-72. The associated technologies and cooling
product developed are discussed herewith.
Heat ExchangersWater radiators and
Engine Oil Coolers
The radiators and coolers originally used in the
T-72 were grossly inadequate for efective cooling
in BLT T-72 under summer desert conditions. After
experimenting with diferent sizes of core thickness,
Figure 6. Clockwise from top left: Radiator, charge air cooler,
transmission oil cooler LH and transmission oil cooler RH
The cooling fan of an AFV has to ensue cool air
fow with the specifed pressure head overcoming
resistances in the cooling air fow passages. Since
it requires to run at 5500 rpm, its radiographic
quality needs to be very good and the fan has to be
dynamically balanced. The cooling fans for AFVs have
been developed indigenously.
The cooling system, consisting of all the above
heat exchangers and cooling fan, has been integrated
with indigenous powerpack. The system has been
Figure 7. Cooling fan
7 April 2014
the radiators and oil coolers have been successfully
developed indigenously using aluminium core, plate
and fn type, furnace brazed with single pass liquid
fow between headers. These were tested extensively
under simulated conditions and by installation inside
tanks.
Technical Specifcations: Radiator LH and Radiator RH
Heat dissipation : 105 kW each
Coolant fow rate : 500 lpm
Coolant inlet temperature : 115C
Allowable coolant
pressure drop : 0.5 bar
Cooling air fow rate : 2.50 kg/s
Cooling air inlet
temperature : 65C
Allowable pressure drop
on cooling air : 35 mm WG
Size of core matrix : 927 x 470 x 130 mm
Figure 8. Oil cooler LH (top) and Oil cooler RH
Technical Specifcations: Engine Oil Cooler LH and
Engine Oil Cooler RH
Heat dissipation : 60 kW each
Oil fow rate : 180 lpm
Oil inlet temperature : 120C
Allowable pressure drop
on oil : 1.7 bar
Cooling air fow rate : 2.50 kg/s
Cooling air inlet
temperature : 50C
Allowable pressure drop on
cooling air : 35 mm WG
Oil used : SAE 20 W 50
Size of core matrix : 610 x 460 x 63 mm
Cooling Water Pump
A high capacity centrifugal cooling water pump
has been indigenised for T-72 engine based variants
including BLT T-72. The pump made of aluminium alloy
is mounted on the tanks engine and in the same
spatial and originally mounting confguration. The
pump has been precision manufactured with a high-
speed impeller and mechanical seal. Prototype samples
have been tested at Engine Factory Avadis test facility.
Installation on the engine also has been tried out. The
design is being fne tuned and development work is in
full swing.
Technical Specifcations
Type : Centrifugal pump
working in closed loop
system
Body material : Aluminium alloy casting
or its equivalent
Input drive : Mechanical
8 April 2014
Pump speed : 3000 rpm normal max.
Pump outlet : 610 lpm @ pressure
0.4 bar
Maximum water
temperature : up to 115C
Cooling Fan
A centrifugal cooling fan with aerodynamic
vanes has been developed indigenously for T-72
confguration. Unlike the riveted aluminium sheet
construction, the fan has been made using casting
and other forming processes. Sand casting, ring
rolling followed by CNC machining and Low-Pressure
Die-Casting (LPDC) processes are also being worked
out. The frst two have been established and third
technology is in the development mode. The fans have
been bench tested for high speed running, fow, and
power consumption. The sand cast and ring rolled
fans have been tested on prototype tanks and found
compatible.
Technical Specifcations
Material : High grade aluminium
alloy
Overall diameter : 655 mm
Height : 205 mm
No. of vanes : 16 equally spaced
Ballistic Grills
Original table-top type louvres used in T-72 grills
(over the radiator) have been replaced by a diferent
type of section, which permits almost double the air
fow and less obstruction, but retains the ballistic
properties. The louvre sections have been formed
from armour grade EN 25 steel by special hot extrusion
method and other fnishing processes. Grills (length:
460 mm; Breadth: 50 mm and thickness: 4.5 mm) made
with this section, have been tested as per approved
standards and found ballisitically superior.
Electronic Fuel Injection System
Conventional fuel injection pumps used in up-rated
1000 hp engine do not have features for regulating
fuel as function of charge air temperature, coolant
Figure 9. Cooling water pump
Figure 10. Cooling fan
9 April 2014
temperature and shutdown mechanism for low engine
oil pressure and low coolant level. These features are
essential for operation at high ambient temperature
and also for foolproof engine performance. CVRDE has
developed Electronic Controlled Fuel Injection System
(ECFIS) jointly with Indian Institute of Technology,
Chennai, to introduce electronic governor in place
of mechanical governor, to develop microprocessor-
based engine controller unit and to introduce actuator
to regulate the fuel delivery for up-rated 1000 hp
engine.
The ECFIS consists of sensors, actuators, control
system and software. The system senses engine speed,
load, charge air temperature, coolant temperature and
accelerator pedal position. The input data is fed to
electronic controller, which gives signal to the actuator
and that in turn moves the control rack. Indigenously
developed microprocessor-based controllers and
actuators have been integrated with the fuel injection
pump (FIP) and evaluated in FIP test bench. FIP
integrated with the engine has also been evaluated
in the test bed. The system successfully controlled
the fuelling based on charge air temperature,
coolant temperature, etc., and met all the system
requirements.
Up-rated 1000 hp Engine for T-72
Tanks
T-72 M1 tanks are powered by 780 hp engine. It is
a V type, 12 cylinders, four stroke, water cooled, direct
injection and mechanically supercharged engine
having 38.88 liters of swept volume. To meet the
Indian operating environment conditions, its power
output has been upgraded from 780 hp to 1000 hp to
enhance its mobility with the increased weight.
Figure 11. ECFIS installed in the FIP test bench
Figure 12. Up-rated 1000 hp Engine
Power enhancement was achieved by introduction
of turbochargers in place of mechanical super charger;
modifcation in the fuel injection system; introduction
of charge air cooling; introduction of enhanced capacity
water and oil pumps; introduction of new exhaust
manifold corrections and by modifying existing inlet
manifold.
The engine performance has been evaluated
and demonstrated on the engine test bed. Prototype
engines have been subjected to 100 hours of full
load test and 400 hours of endurance run. Details of
upgraded module are as follows.
10 April 2014
Engine Peripheral Systems for Vehicle
Integration
To cater for the requirement of up-rated 1000 hp
engine, the following modifcations were carried out:
Introduction of compact aluminium plate and fn a
heat exchangers in place of brass/copper tube and
fn type heat exchangers consisting of radiators,
engine oil cooler and transmission oil cooler
Introduction of efcient aluminium aero foil profled a
cooling fan in place of fabricated cooling fan
New air cleaning system consisting of cyclonic a
primary flter, paper fne flter and positive dust
extraction system
Efcient engine oil flter a
Positive closed breathing system a
Tefon corrugated stainless steel hoses in a
place of rubber hoses for engine oil lubrication
connections.
The prototype up-rated 1000 hp engine after
evaluation at CVRDE test bench has been integrated
in a T-72 M1 vehicle. The vehicle feld evaluation
has been conducted at Avadi trial site as well as
in Rajasthan. Most of the vehicle trials have been
conducted at Rajasthan as it warranted to prove the
engine qualifcation at higher ambient temperatures
and at dusty environmental conditions. The engine
has successfully completed user trials at Pokhran and
validation trials by DGQA and MAG-6.
Sub-Systems for Gun Control System
Automatic Target Tracker
Automatic Target Tracker (ATT) is used to assist
gunner in automatically slewing the GMS mirror to the
selected target. ATT automatically tracks the selected
target using video available from the sighting system.
A prototype ATT has been developed and evaluated at
trial sites in and around Chennai, and at Suratgarh. The
ATT takes video input from the monitoring port of GMS
and swaps command signal of Gunners Control Handle
(GCH) in auto mode. This set-up, integrated on the tank,
has been satisfactory evaluated and recommended by
the users. ATT was trial evaluated at MFFR in the static
observer to moving target, moving observer to static
target and moving observer to moving target modes.
Figure 14. Automatic target tracker unit Figure 13. Up-rated 1000 hp engine with air filtration system
11 April 2014
Trials were conducted in both, day and night, for
a range of 2 km and expected pixels accuracy was
achieved.
Salient Features
Relieves stress and fatigue of the gunner a
Tracks the target during obscurations and even in a
the cluttered environment.
Handy in undulation terrain, viz, desert area. a
Digital Controller for Weapon
Platform Stabilisation
Main function of the Gun Control System (GCS)
in an AFV is to provide STAB (self-stabilisation) and
accurate slaving of the weapon platform to a stabilised
sighting system in spite of terrain disturbances. The
stabilisation and slaving accuracy should be below
the permissible limit to achieve high frst round hit
probability while fring in static/mobile modes. This
demands a highly precise controller for weapon
platform stabilisation.
The controller unit is the heart of a GCS
which houses all the electronics for control law
implementation. Basically the controller works in
STAB and SLAVE mode. In the electro-hydraulic GCS,
the electrical output from the control handle drives
the turret and gun through the servo valves. In the
STAB/SLAVE modes of operation, the controller unit
controls the hydraulic fow to the actuators. In the STAB
mode of operation inertial stabilisation to the gun is
provided by counter moving the gun/turret to the hull
movements due to terrain disturbances. In the SLAVE
mode of operation, the gun is slaved to the master
stabilised sight. Position error signals through resolver
chain system are fed from the Fire Control System (FCS)
to GCS. This mode is the primary mode of operation of
Integrated Fire Control System (IFCS).
CVRDE has developed a compact digital controller
to achieve high frst round hit. The digital controller
has some inherent advantages; modifcation of flter
parameters is easy as these are not designed through
discrete components and the software flters are not
dependent upon age or environmental factors and
provides fexibility in altering the coefcients without
any hardware changes. The digital controller unit is
compact and can be implemented with minimum
hardware.
The controller is built with state-of-the-art digital
signal processor with high-speed 16 bit ADC and DAC.
Bilinear transformation technique has been used to
implement various compensators in digital domain.
The controller also comprises efective anti-aliasing
flters. The sampling frequency is optimally selected at
4 kHz.
This system also provides both on-line and of-line
Built-in testing equipment (BITE). During system on,
the on-line BITE gives health of the controller unit. The
system also provides an of-line/manual BITE, wherein
Figure 15. Digital controller
12 April 2014
a reference signal is fed instead of the control handle
signal and Linear Variable Diferential Transformer
(LVDT) signal is compared with a known reference. The
system has provision of recording predefned events
and time stamping of the same.
The digital controller comprises power supply
module, power supply and control logic module, and
DSP module. Additional functions of MIL-1553B and
Ethernet have been provided for digital communication
with other systems of the weapon platform.
The controller has been designed and developed
to the stringent specifcations and qualifes ESS and
EMI/EMC tests. It has been thoroughly tested on bench
and then on tank before subjected to fring trial. This
unit was integrated with other sub-systems of the
weapon platform and underwent summer fring trials
in Rajasthan. Excellent results were achieved in both
static and dynamic mode of fring.
Suspension System for AFVs
Hydro-Gas Suspension System
Main Battle Tank (MBT) is a cross-country vehicle
with high mobility and superior ride comfort along
with other main characteristics like superior fre power,
high degree of protection, etc. Higher mobility power
is essential for an MBT vehicle to negotiate and
manoeuvre faster in terrains such as hard and soft
grounds, ditches and steps, water obstacles and marshy
patch, sand dunes and mountains in circumstances
having rapid dispersion of fghting forces during
execution of counter attacks from unexpected
directions. A well-matched running gear system is very
essential to make use of the maximum torque available
at sprocket through power train from engine.
CVRDE has indigenously designed, developed,
tested and productionised sub-systems, viz. Hydro-gas
Suspension Unit (HSU), track adjuster, twin top roller,
tracks and assembly road wheel for Arjun MBT. All
these sub-systems have been subjected to elaborate
feld trials in diferent terrain condition for around
70,000 km run and proven for their performance and
expected life. Besides, the variants of suspension
system, viz., in-arm hydro-gas suspension, tandem strut
for Ex-tank, hydro-gas strut for BMP, hydro-gas strut,
have also been successfully designed and developed
for heavy commercial vehicle and hydro-gas strut for
naval applications.
Figure 16. Running gear system/sub-systems mounted on tank
Hydro-gas Suspension Unit
The suspension system is intended for cushioning
the impacts, shocks, and for damping the oscillations
of the hull when the vehicle moves over irregularities
of the terrain and also when obstacles are being
negotiated to provide crew comfort, protecting the
sensitive on-board equipment and also to provide
stable platform for armament thereby improving fre
performance accuracy.
13 April 2014
A modular HSU has been realised to meet the
functional requirements of the hydro-gas suspension
system.
The HSU consists of actuator and accumulator
cylinders with sliding piston, foating piston and in-
built damping unit, crank assembled with piston rod,
axle arm assembly, cover assembly and road wheel
pair. Vehicle load is transmitted through the road wheel
support and trailing axle arm to the suspension unit.
The wheel loads are transmitted by means of a crank
pin with splined shaft, which is a structural extension
of the axle arm assembly through crank and piston rod
assembly to the HSU. By means of movement of sliding
piston and, thus, the oil through damper unit, the
vibration of vehicle is damped out. The gas under high
pressure in the accumulator cylinder acts as spring. In
the HSU, the main bearings are located internally in the
crank case, which is sealed to the atmosphere and is
independent of the axle arm assembly.
HSUTechnical Specifcations
Spring characteristics : a Non-linear spring
through gas medium
Damping : Bi-directional in-built a
damping
Wheel travel : 535 mm a
Static load : 4.2 ton a
Dynamic load : 19 ton a
Oil used : SAE 10 W 30 a
Gas used : Nitrogen a
Application : Arjun MBT, 14 stations a
per vehicle.
HSUSalient Features
Larger wheel travel possible a
Good ridi a ng comfort due to non-linear spring
characteristics
Provide stable gun platform for fring on the move a
Ease of maintenance a
Low silhouette of vehicle a
High efective inside volume a
Pressure and spring rate can be independently a
adjusted Figure 17. Schematic diagram of HSU with its parts
Figure 18. HSU for Arjun MBT
14 April 2014
In-built damper units for better damping distribution a
possible
High cross-country mobility a
High-Pressure Piston Seals for Hydro-Gas
Suspension System
The HSU uses high-pressure piston seals to
exhibit greater sealing efciency in dynamic loading
at various operating conditions, viz., varying ambient
temperature, high frequency and amplitudes at higher
wheel loads.
Seals Assembled on Floating Piston
Assembly
The 110 mm diameter seal confguration has
been indigenously designed and composition of seal
constituents material identifed to replace imported
seals being used presently. So far three iteration of
testing for 50 hours have been completed and further
improvements on the performance of seals are being
carried out.
Further high-temperature, high-pressure piston
seals have been developed and tested with HSU on
Arjun-PPS XII tank. The tank has undergone 5000
km trials so far without any failure. Based on the
performance of the seals, clearance has been given
to Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bengaluru, for
ftment of the seals with production orders of HSU.
Eforts have been made to arrive at the performance
governing parameters by undertaking various tests
and trials on a lot of samples picked up from the raw
seal material, to use the results in the respective QAI
document. Service order has been placed to M/s CIPET,
Chennai, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizer, Govt of
India. CIPET has carried out the necessary tests and
trials by using the samples provided by M/s Fluro
Carbon Seals, Chennai. The trial data have been flled
in the respective entry area of the QAI. Next batch of
samples will be taken up for yet another set of test and
trials to narrow down the uncertainty factors obtained
from the previous tests.
Technologies for Transmission
Systems
Fluid Coupling and Retarder
CVRDE is developing a 1500 hp fully automatic
hydrodynamic mechanical transmission system for
AFVs. The system comprises various sub-systems, viz.,
speed change gearbox, direction change gearbox,
Figure 19. Sliding piston Figure 20. Floating piston
Figure 21. Sliding and floating pistons with assembly cylinders
15 April 2014
mechanical steering unit, steering diferential, torque
convertor, fuid coupling and retarder, etc.
Fluid coupling is a hydrodynamic coupling, which
consists of two major bladed components, namely,
impeller and turbine. Oil is used as power transmitting
media from impeller to turbine. The fuid coupling
system used in 1500 hp transmission can transmit
170 kW power. The rated speed of this unit is
6720 rpm and it is used for driving the cooling fan
through a suitable gear train and control the speed of
cooling fan in accordance with coolant temperature.
Oil supply to fuid coupling varies according to coolant
temperature, which results in change in slip as well as
change in output speed.
Retarder is a hydrodynamic device used for
decelerating the vehicle and running the vehicle at
desired speed in downhill operation. Retarder and
main brakes together provide high braking power to
vehicle. Retarder also increases the life of main brake
shoes by sharing its load. Both fuid coupling and
retarder are assembled in a single casing and receive
drive from a common shaft. Input to this assembly is
from primary side of torque convertor through gear
Figure 22. Fluid coupling testing arrangement
drive. Fluid coupling and retarder are required to
function independently and also together.
Three prototypes of fuid coupling and retarder
assembly have been developed and tested in a
separate test-rig especially designed and developed for
testing of fuid coupling and retarder. Hydraulic circuit,
having special oil inlet and outlet valves, has also been
developed for supplying oil to both units at diferent
fow rates. The hydraulic circuit employs standard
pumps, flters, pressure relief valves, fow meters and
solenoid valves for achieving the test requirements
of the test rig. Speed, torque, power and temperature
data have been recorded and analyzed for studying
fuid coupling characteristic behaviour and power loss
at diferent input speeds and slips.
Development and testing of fuid coupling and
retarder running at more than 6000 rpm have been
done frst time in India. Compact fuid coupling and
retarder for high power rating (170-225 kW) and high
speed application (6700 rpm) is not available within
India. CVRDE has successfully designed and developed
prototypes and validated these successfully as an efort
for indigenisation of technology.
Development of 1500 hp and 550 hp Torque
Converters
The 1500 hp fully automatic hydrodynamic
mechanical transmission system for AFVs is being
developed. Torque converter used for torque
multiplication is a major sub-system of this
transmission. Other sub-systems of transmission are
speed change gearbox, direction change gearbox,
mechanical steering unit, steering diferential, fuid
coupling and retarder, fnal drive, etc. Torque converter
is a hydrodynamic device consisting of three major
16 April 2014
bladed components, namely, impeller, stator and
turbine. Impeller is connected with input drive (engine),
turbine is connected to load (wheel or sprocket) and
stator is coupled with a stationary casing through one
way clutch. Stator is a reaction member and thus gives
torque multiplication. After the coupling point the
stator rotates along with impeller. Oil is used as power
transmitting media from impeller to turbine. Torque
converter multiplies torque to provide quick start, easy
gradient climbing and high acceleration to vehicle. It
makes gear-shifting smooth and absorbs jerks.
Two torque converters have been developed for
1500 hp and 550 hp transmissions. The single-stage,
two-phase, three-element torque converters have
stall torque ratio of 2.4. The 1500 hp torque converter
is rated for a speed of 3000 revolution per minute. It
operates in two phasestorque converter mode and
lock-up mode. When required, torque converter can
be bypassed through hydraulically actuated lock-up
clutch. Converter mode is used for starting and during
gear shifts for better fuel economy. The converter
remains in lock-up mode during the remaining period.
Three prototypes of torque converters have
been developed and tested for each power rating. A
dedicated test-rig, a hydraulic circuit consisting of
gear pumps, flters, pressure relief valves, pressure
and temperature gauges and fow meters have been
developed for achieving the test requirements of
Figure 23. Assembly of 1500 hp torque converter
the test rig. Input and output torque, inlet, outlet
and lubrication fow rates, converter inlet and outlet
temperature, coolant and sump temperature, input
and output speeds, inlet and outlet pressure, lock-up
and lubrication pressure were recorded using online
data acquisition system to analyse the performance
characteristics curves of torque converter at constant
input speed of 2000 revolution per minute. The lock-
up clutch torque transmitting capacity was also test
evaluated for selected converter speeds and lock-up
pressures and was found satisfactory. An endurance
testing to demonstrate the lock-up clutch was carried
out by continuously engaging and disengaging the
clutches by running the converter at a particular speed
ratio with the simulation of inertia. The converters
stall torque capability was determined by locking
the output shaft while running the converter at peak
torque condition for three input speeds.
Design and development of torque converter
was a critical area. As an efort for indigenisation of
technologies, design of torque converter has been
established including the bladed components for the
frst time in India.
Defensive Aids System for AFVs
Defensive Aids System (DAS) enhances the
survivability of AFVs against modern sensors and Anti-
tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) detection systems. CVRDE
has developed indigenous DAS for AFVs. The system
comprises a Mobile Camoufage System (MCS) and an
Advanced Laser Warning and Countermeasure System
(ALWCS).
Mobile Camoufage System
The MCS provides multi-spectral signature
management for the AFVs to protect the vehicle against
17 April 2014
all sensors and smart munitions. The performance
evaluation trials of MCS have been conducted at MFFR
and system has been integrated in the Arjun MBT.
Advanced Laser Warning Countermeasure
System
The ALWCS increases the survivability of the
combat vehicle against ATGMs with Semi Automatic
Command to Line-of-Sight (SACLOS) system, ATGMs
with a laser target designator, beam rider ATGMs,
Figure 24. Mobile camouflage system
and tanks ftted with laser range fnder. ALWCS has
been integrated with Arjun MBT and interfaced with
integrated fre control system (IFCS). The performance
evaluation trials have been conducted at MFFR,
Rajasthan. This system is a major value addition for
Arjun MBT Mk-II.
Arjun MBT Troop Training Simulator
CVRDE has established a state-of-the-art Arjun
MBT simulator training centre, the frst of its kind in
India, for AFV crew training.
Three driving simulators
and three turret simulators
have been indigenously
developed and installed. The
simulators are confgured
to provide individual crew-
level technical training
to integrated tank- and
troop-level tactical training.
This innovative training
facility caters for safer, cost-
efective and round-the-
clock training to the Arjun
MBT crew without using Figure 25. Advanced laser warning countermeasure system
Figure 26. Smoke grenade discharged from the tank
18 April 2014
the actual tank and ammunition. This saves enormous
expenditure required for training the newly recruited
Army crew.
The crew gets familiarised on various technical
and tactical drills in the simulator with awareness to
handle emergencies during training, which is not
possible through actual tank. This enhances the
performance of the crew so that the actual tank can be
handled efectively and hence its fghting capability
can be explored to the maximum possible extent.
Instructor station monitors and controls the actions
of nine crew members during troop training. Online
evaluation with appropriate ranking and after action
review is provided at the
instructor station to assess
the strength and weakness
of the crew during training.
This indigenous efort has
enhanced self-reliance in the
area of AFV crew training
requirements of Indian Army.
Turret Simulator
Turret simulator com-
prises replicated Arjun MBT
turret compartment hard-
ware controls with day and
night visions for gunner, and
panoramic and episcope
vision for commander to
handle the battle conditions
efectively. The turret simu-
lator helps to familiarise the
gunner and commander
on various functions and
operational procedure to be followed in the turret
compartment to engage and fre on the targets.
Salient Features
Commanders override operations and surveillance a
procedures training
Identifcation and prioritisation of targets with a
battlefeld lessons
Navigation training through global positioning a
system
Target engagement, tracking, laying and fring a
practices with main gun and machine gun
Training under diferent terrain, environment and a
visibility conditions
Figure 27. Internal view of Commander's and Gunner's compartment
Figure 28. Instruction station with consoles and turret cabin on motion system
19 April 2014
Figure 29. L-R: Driver compartment internal view (front side); hatch open driving simulation and driver's cabin on motion system
and visibility conditions with emergencies and
obstacles
Gear selection for diferent driving conditions a
Fording exercises with underwater efects a
Lessons for hatch open and hatch closed driving a
Collision efects and its synchronisation with motion a
cues during driving
Instructor console to plan, monitor the driver actions a
and evaluate him with ranking
Troop Training Simulator
Troop training simulators for MBTs are available in
various countries across the world. However, in India
this is the frst troop training simulator developed
indigenously for Arjun MBT to train three gunners,
three commanders and three drivers together in a
simulated tactical mission plan environment. To meet
this tactical training three turret simulators and three
driving simulators were interconnected through high
speed LAN.
Each turret and driving simulators are mounted on
a 6 DOF electrical motion system to generate realistic
motion cues and disturbances experienced by the
crew inside the MBT. Six such motion systems were
commissioned in an air-conditioned high roof bay for
Firing with explosion, dust, smoke and recoil a
efects
Instructor console to plan, monitor the Gunner's a
and Commander's actions and evaluates these with
ranking
Driving Simulator
The driving simulator helps the driver to get
familiarised on various hardware controls and
switches present in the compartment and operational
procedures to be followed while driving the tank.
The driving simulator is provided with actual driver
compartment hardware controls with periscope
vision for day time driving and Passive Night Vision
Devices (PNVD) for night time driving. This simulator
cabin is mounted on 6 DOF (degree of freedom)
electrical motion systems to provide the realistic
roll, pitch, and yaw feel to the driver. The hatch
open driving simulation provides with battlefield
sceneries projected on cylindrical screen to cover
200horizontal FOV and 45vertical FOV. This helps
the driver to get immersed under virtual reality based
motion, aural and visual cues synchronisation.
Salient Features
Lesson plans for the driver to prepare the vehicle a
under diferent start up and stopping conditions
Driving practice on diferent terrain, time, seasons a
20 April 2014
Open hatch display system for driver with 200(H) a
and 45(V) FOV
PNVD and thermal imager for the crew during night a
time operations
Camera view to monitor the physical movement of a
nine crew and six motion systems during simulator
operation
troop training. Real-time response based on the
nine crew members actions during troop training
have been achieved realistically by synchronising
six motion cues, 36 visual cues and various aural
cues in the simulator.
Salient Features
Lesson plan to cater tactical training with a
troop formation procedures
Scenario editing with proper mission plans for a
each tank
Plan, monitor and control the crew actions a
through instructor console
Record and replay the crew actions during a
training
Monitoring of nine crew actions through single a
instructor station during troop training
Communication among nine crew members and a
instructor
Emergency controls for six motion systems a
Training under diferent terrain and environmental a
conditions
Technology Focus focuses on the technological developments in the Organisation, covering the products, processes and technologies.
Figure 30. Three turret and driving simulators