Cargo Ground Build-up System (CGBS)

Para qué sirve

The Cargo Ground Buildup System (CGBS) provides a solution to enable handling of cargo delivered by the Hercules C-130 aircraft at austere locations where they do not have any other infrastructure to rapidly offload cargo from the aircraft.

Qué te inspiró

When operating at austere locations that do not have any other infrastructure, it is required to rapidly offload and remove cargo from the limited ramp space. The need for this capability became apparent during the Indian Air Force(IAF) disaster relief operations to Nepal during the 2015 earthquake when the IAF’s Hercules C-130 aircraft immediately responded with aid but were unable to rapidly offload their cargo due to lack of available infrastructure. The team identified this requirement and as part of the Lockheed Martin’s Roll-on/Roll-off Payload Design University Challenge have conceptualized and designed this vehicle.

Cómo funciona

The CGBS is air transportable over the Hercules C-130 without reducing the available cargo space. During unloading operations, it carries the pallet(s) off the aircraft, one at a time, and places it at a location sufficiently far from the airstrip thus freeing the airstrip for further aircraft to land on. It is a combination of a forklift and a K-loader which are the commonly used material handling vehicles. It employs a novel load handling mechanism having a rollerized conveyor system as well as a rollerized fork. These enable the motion of the cargo over the vehicle, either to or from the aircraft. Additionally, it has a range of linear and rotary actuators which unloads the cargo from the vehicle to the ground during unloading and lifts the cargo from the ground to the vehicle during loading operations. The vehicle uses field-proven technologies of hydrostatic transmission, skid steering system and air suspension system.

Proceso de diseño

The CGBS has been designed by understanding the mission requirements and constraints of the aircraft. We have developed the concept and design from scratch over the past 3 yrs and have refined over various iterations by having discussions with aircraft operators from IAF and technical experts of the aircraft from Lockheed Martin, which is the manufacturer of the aircraft. We understood the constraints of the aircraft and found a location for storage and transportation of the vehicle. This drove the weight and dimension constraints of the vehicle. Next, we identified the cargo load which the vehicle would handle and designed a mechanism to load and unload this cargo. The load handling mechanism, which is the most critical part of the vehicle, was designed by combining the features and components of various load handling vehicles, such as forklifts, K-Loaders, dump trucks, etc. We are currently developing a ⅔ scale prototype of the vehicle for demonstration to stakeholders and potential customers.

Qué lo hace diferente

CGBS is an enhanced combination of various load handling vehicles, both off-road and industrial load handling vehicles. It provides two major advantages over its nearest competitors, which are the forklifts and K-loaders that are currently used for cargo handling operations for military aircraft: 1. It improves upon the current design of counterbalance forklifts and can do the same job as that in much less than half the vehicle weight. The self-weight of CGBS is nearly half(2.5 ton) of the cargo it carries, which is 5 tons, whereas to carry a 5-ton cargo, one needs a 7.5-ton forklift. This translates into reduced vehicle cost, fuel consumption, safer operations. 2. The CGBS is air transportable and is designed according to the constraints of the aircraft. It can be stored and transported on the aircraft without reducing the available cargo space as well as retaining the normal cargo pallet positions for fully sized pallets.

Planes para el futuro

We are currently developing a scaled down engineering prototype of the vehicle which is funded by Lockheed Martin Corp. The prototype development is being monitored by Lockheed Martin to see if it is eligible for an offset project. Upon development and successful demonstration, the stakeholders – Lockheed Martin and we, will decide on the best option to take it to next stage of commercial development, either jointly or individually based on the interest. We hope to develop the production design of the vehicle for international military and commercial operators of the Hercules aircraft.

Premios

1. We won the Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Roll On/Roll Off University Challenge where we got a grant of $85,000 for development of an Engineering prototype. 2. We also won the “Student Innovator of the Year” award at Indian Automotive Technology and Innovation Awards 2017 organized by Auto Tech Review.