420 Defence Science Journal, Vol. 67, No. 4, July 2017, pp. 420-427, DOI : 10.14429/dsj.67.11541  2017, DESIDOC 1. IntroductIon In the mobility-protection-fre power triumvirate of AFVs the emphasis is very much for the mobility, as these vehicles have to manoeuver away as quickly as possible in crisis. The futuristic AFV has to be equipped with the advanced protection systems to cater for even the latest threats. At present, major portion of the tank is made of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) steel, while the frontal portion, which has high threat possibility, has a multilayered complex sandwich type of construction rather than thick monolithic steel. Additionally, it has the semi-active type explosive reactive armor (ERA). As a result, the vehicle weight has increased considerably. For the increased mobility, the vehicle should weigh less. However, the enhanced protection, improved fring capability and advanced features like laser warning countermeasure system (LWCS), mine plough etc. have tremendously increased the vehicle weight. This unintended increase in weight reduces the vehicle effciency/performance. This issue could be solved by the use of composite material. The composite materials have high specifc properties compared to the conventional metals and alloys so that suitable replacement will result in considerable weight reduction. The reduction in weight can also provide scope for the further improvement. As an attempt to replace the high density steel, the structural components like hatches, protective panels, louvers and the dynamic components like road wheel and top roller of AFV have been developed using the composites. Worldwide, an extensive research is in progress to use polymer matrix composite material for structural and dynamic purposes. Fuchs 1 , et al. described in detail regarding the selection of material for automobile components based on the suitability of design, manufacturing process and assembly of the components in the fnal structure. Csukas 2 , et al. developed the model for analysis of products made using composite material. Based on the analysis of properties the design was implemented for productionisation. Balakrishnan 3 , et al. studied in detail regarding the application of fber reinforced composites along with aluminum matrix composite for application in military and commercial vehicles. Hazell 4 , elaborately studied and described the techniques and methodology for shock propagation in composite and response of polymer composite under air blast loading. Verma 5 , et al. described in detail regarding the design and development of road wheel for infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) along with suitable analysis and manufacturing process. This has profound application in case of dynamic components for AFVs. The development and testing of composite road wheel has been dealt. The fnite element analysis and multi-body carbon Fiber composites: A Solution for Light Weight dynamic components of AFVs Subodh Kumar Nirala * , Sarath Shankar, Dhanalakshmi Sathishkumar, V. Kavivalluvan, and P. Sivakumar Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chennai – 600 054, India * E-mail: sknirala@cvrde.drdo.in AbStrAct Changing circumstances across the world require armoured fghting vehicle (AFV) of a country to be more agile, easily manoeuverable and transportable besides other key requirements like frepower and protection. Therefore, the AFV should be as light as possible. The use of conventional materials and techniques do not fulfll the requirement of light weight AFV. The composite materials having high specifc modulus, specifc strength and directional properties are the alternative substitution for reducing the weight. A customized design approach with proper selection of composite material is essential to make AFV components with required properties at lower weight as compared to the traditional approach. Special properties like resistance to moisture, solvents, UV degradation etc. could be imparted to the composite components by the use of proper additives or fllers. This paper deals with the development of dynamic members like road wheel, top roller and axle arm, whose count is always more in any AFVs, using carbon-epoxy composite material. The details of composite materials used and the manufacturing processes adopted are briefy discussed. The static load test carried out to assess the structural integrity as well as non-destructive tests (NDT) performed to detect the defects are also dealt in detail. Preliminary Finite Element Analysis and Multi-body Dynamic Analysis have also been discussed. These analyses have been done mainly to understand the sustainability and performance of the components developed under the given loading conditions. Keywords: Road wheel; Top roller; Axle arm; Carbon-epoxy composite; Static load test; Non-destructive test Received : 14 March 2017, Revised : 26 May 2017 Accepted : 26 May 2017, Online published : 03 July 2017