Class of 2012 Grads Awarded Patent for Anchor Projectile

U.S. PATENT AWARDED: Gun - Launched Anchor Projectile for Climbing. 1LTs Ryan Freitag, Cameron Martin, Patrick Coe, Kevin Lucas, Brian Walter, and Chris Knittle – members of the Mechanical Engineering program Service Academy Design Challenge team in 2012, were awarded U.S. Patent # 9,074,856 B1 effective 7 July 2015. The team, led by advisor LTC Mike Benson, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, developed an M203 launched climbing system that deploys a tungsten - tipped projectile and hammer system that could embed into reinforced concrete. A leader line from the back of the anchor allows a climbing rope to pull through, and the team used the system to ascend a 90 - ft concrete silo during the competition. The new system provides a potential alternative to the ladder – which remains the Army solution to ascending vertical obstacles for maneuver access from ground locations. The team collaborated with the Army Research Lab, including the penetration testing of reinforced concrete, developing a stable projectile that effectively created the system anchor. Efforts are underway to reward the team members with a fiscal prize in accordance with Army Regulation.