New Defence Material Technology Centre
By Lea Kivivali, Senior Media Officer, Corporate Communications Unit
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The development of futuristic materials for use in ships, aircraft and combat vehicles is now a reality, with the establishment of headquarters of the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) at Swinburne University of Technology. The DMTC will play a vital role in the protection of Australian troops deployed around the world and will receive Australian Government funding of $30 million and a further $52 million from the collaborative partners. The centre will bring together the expertise and resources of key industry representatives, universities and publicly funded research agencies from around Australia. The Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences will participate in the technical and scientific activities of the centre throughout the seven-year duration of this program. Swinburne’s point of contact is Prof Chris Berndt at IRIS.
Established under the Defence Future Capability Technology Centre Program, a cooperative centre to examine specific future defence capability, the DMTC has been set up to develop specific future defence capabilities not currently addressed by the Australian defence industry. It is expected to deliver improved armour protection for military vehicles and high-tech materials for use in major Defence acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Fighter.
An education and training program will be designed to develop engineers and scientists with the skills to work in the Defence industry. Research will focus on developing materials such as high strength steels, high temperature and multi-functional composites and ceramics. It will also examine manufacturing processes, prediction and assessment of performance and embedded electronic systems for health monitoring and system performance.