Proceedings of the 2015 Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS) UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release 2015 NDIA GROUND VEHICLE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (SE) TECHNICAL SESSION AUGUST 4-6, 2015 - NOVI, MICHIGAN MARVEL – A Modular Vehicle Fleet Simulation Tool Dr. Emrah Bayrak Dr. Mert Egilmez Henry Kuang Xingyu Li Jong Min Park Prof. Panos Papalambros Prof. Bogdan Epureanu Dept. Mechanical Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Dr. Edward Umpfenbach Dr. Richard Gerth Dr. Jean Dasch Dr. David Gorsich US Army TARDEC Warren, MI Erik Anderson SAIC Warren, MI Dr. Jean Dasch Alion Science and Technology Warren, MI ABSTRACT The value of modularity in ground vehicles to the Army and other services has been a topic of much debate for decades. There are instances of successful implementations of modularity in current ground vehicle programs of record. However, these implementations have generally been accomplished through swappable mission equipment rather than large-scale transformation of the vehicle and its core components. Concurrently, the Army Science and Technology (S&T) community has continued to demonstrate the technical feasibility of large-scale, transformative ground vehicle modularity, but the business case of modularity remains elusive. Decision support tools are needed to enable Army leadership to confidently and holistically assess the right balance between modular and mission-specific (conventional) vehicle platforms. This complex problem needs to address numerous considerations, including total lifecycle cost, mission utility, personnel requirements, and fleet adaptability. In this paper we present MARVEL, a modular fleet simulation tool developed to provide decision support when evaluating ground vehicle modularity, and we discuss the tool’s application to a US Army TARDEC vehicle demonstrator program. While MARVEL development is ongoing, we present the current set of results available from our models and discuss the lessons learned that can be gleaned from them regarding the holistic value of a modular vehicle fleet. INTRODUCTION Modularity in Policy & Guidance Modularity has long been viewed as a tool to control acquisition and sustainment costs while increasing capability and adaptability of a fielded system. Ground vehicle systems are often used in very different ways to meet a diverse set of missions (tactical resupply, combat, command and control, etc.). No singular vehicle design could meet the capability requirements of many diverse missions while still maintaining realistic levels of SWAP-C (size, weight, power, and cost). At the same time, it would be cost prohibitive to specifically develop, acquire, and maintain a vehicle design that addresses each capability gap. Thus, ground vehicle designers leverage a combination of modular and mission specific vehicle designs as a tool to hit the “sweet spot” between cost, capability, and adaptability. Defense leadership guidance has been supportive of the smart application of modularity as a solution to technical problems. The DoD Better Buying Power (BBP) 2.0 initiative [1] articulates 5 principles of Modular and Open System Architecture (MOSA), namely: 1) Establish an Enabling Environment, 2) Employ Modular Design, 3) Designate Key Interfaces, 4) Use Open Standards, and 5) Certify