The development of a submicron particle sizing instrument isproposed. the objectives of this study are to evaluate a particle sizing concept capable of sizing submicron particles and determine if the technique can be developed into a particle sizing instrument. the proposed research will involve two… More

An innovative electrode design for electrostatic precipitators that will enhance fine paarticle collection has been developed. this new design concept involves wave-shaped electrodes (wavy electrodes) and offers some fundamental improvements over the conventional precipitator configuration. in terms… More

Measurements of the turbulent fluxes of momentum, heat, and salinity in the oceanic boundary layer are very difficult to obatain, as both a stable platform

The objective of this proposal is to develop a high-accuracy, low range pressure transducer which is suitable for measurement in environments where high vibration, high tempeature and varying line pressure create problems for presently available transducers. the primary sensor is an elastic metal… More

A program of research is proposed whose aim is to speed up the various stages in processing continuous-time stereo images for the determination of range pictures as a field moves past a stationary robotic system. typical stereo systems treat each frame pair as a new stereo problem obtaining range… More

In order to estimate the performance of models tested in trasonic wind tunnels, and to achieve maxium benefit from such test, it is necessary to make accurate corrections for effects of wall interference. and improved concept for the assesment and correction of wall interference in trasonic tunnels… More

The development of a high-temperature dynamic pressure probe based on a capacitive sensor is proposed. a thin flexible plate, oriented perpendicular to the direction of flow, and a fixed plate form a capacitor. the dynamic pressure generated by the gas flow (density times velocity squared) deflects… More

The analysis of aircraft and helicopter propulsion system such as compressors, gas turbines, propellers and rotors requires the use of slip-ring devices to interface with the large arrays of sensing elements on the moving member. the conventional mechanical slip-ring devices are speed, noise, size… More

This research addresses a novel technique for "bulk concrete" removal in nuclear facilities for decontamination and decommissioning purposes. this technique employs abrasive-waterjets to cut deep kerfs in concrete, as well as rebars. the feasibility of achieving deep cuts (> 2 ft.) as well as… More

Dimensional gauging, with the current gauge block based techniques, is responsible for over 50% of the cost of producing precision, highspeed aircraft bearing components. in this application, the gauging process is subject to errors from both the inherent limits of the gauge blocks and from the… More

Experimental observations obtained during a recent research program at flow industries have shown that a leading edge vortex on a delta wing at constant angle of attack consists of a series of discrete smaller vortices. these vortices pair, much the same as in a free shear layer. a device is… More

Acute thromboses of arteries are usually a medical emergency. the long-term objective of this project is to develop a pulsed fluidjet system for intravascular use to hydraulically remove clots and debris from occluded arteries via small caliber angiographic catheters. we propose a pulsed fluid… More

The ability to optimize the design of v/stol aircraft and topredict their performance requires a good understanding of the complex jet-induced phenomena associated with these aircraft. presently, experimental work is the main avenue followed to gain an understanding of v/stol flows. numerical… More

This investigation is aimed at developing an active flow control device to generate large-scale, periodic structures in a turbulent shear flow. the device will be used on airborne laser platforms to reduce or eliminate optical distortion of the laser beam caused by the turbulence. controlled… More

Viscous aerodynamic drag accounts for about half of the total drag on commercial aircraft at subsonic cruise conditions. two avenues are available to achieve substanialdrag reduction: either laminar flow control or turbulence manipulation. this proposal concerns the latter approach. a new technique… More

The development of a proximity sensor for use in automated assembly and inspection operations is proposed. a two-dimensional array of small capacitive proximity sensors detects the distance between each sensor tip and the target object. when operating at a close distance to the object (less than 10… More

In recent years, the turboprop propulsion system has received increasing interest due to the substantial savings that can be achieved in fuel consumption. substantial resources. have been invested in developing new technologies for aerodynamic design, aeroacoustic performance, aerodynamic structural… More

The development of a remote long tube inspection system is proposed. the objectives of this research and development effort are to evaluate various concepts capable of inspecting the tube surface and removing foreign objects and to select the most promising techniques for development into a remote… More

The development of a hydrofoil profiling instrument platform for measuring physical, thermodynamic, geochemical, and biological parameters throughout the water column is proposed. the platform would employ a low-power, controlled hydrodynamic lift device to "fly" the instrument package up and down… More

It is generally agreed that the bursting phenomenon is the most significant dynamic event in a turbulent boundary layer. about 80% of the momentum transfer occurs during these bursts. to reduce viscous drag, the physics and structure of these events must be fully understood. however, previous… More

The proposed work will evaluate the feasibility of hafnium carbide fiberproduction through pyrolysis of organohafnium polymer precursors. in this chemical approach to ceramic processing, the methods to synthesize organometallic chemicals suitable for the formation of organohafnium polymers and to… More

Composite structures in space may be subject to source of thermal energy, which includes x-rays from nuclear weapons and high energy laser light. this proposal addresses the need for analysis tools to predict the effects of rapid thermal pulse loading on aerospace composite materials. a major… More

The development of an automated cup inspection module is proposed. the objectives of the phase i effort are to established the parameters which must be measured and their required resolution. the parameters include hardness, outside and inside diameters, base thickness, total length, and wall… More

Microcomputer database management systems have simplified the task of updating and maintaining large quantities of information. a parallel development has been the emergency of computer-aided design systems that enable an operator to examine and manipulate drawings. the proposed research will… More

A systematic investigation of the ionized cluster beam (icb) deposition technique is proposed. the icb method allows a broad range of control over the surface mobility of deposited atoms and has been applied successfully to a variety of thin film materials. however, a number of factors have hampered… More

This project will develop high-temperature amorphous intermetallic alloys with crystallization temperatures, tx, as high as 1000oc (1273k) for extended application in oxidation, sulfidation, corrosion, wear, and catalytic reactions. phase i of the project will establish criteria for quantitative… More

The proposed work will evaluate the feasibility of using processing science to tailor the composition and interface bonding of whisker-reinforced ceramic composites. microstructural control will be evaluated by varying gel structures (colloidal versus polymeric) and sintering (liquid state versus… More

The proposed project would evaluate the feasibility of developing a water fog or spray generator to control on board aircraft fires by attenuating radiative heat transfer . infrared (ir) radiation from the flame maintains combusition of the burning surface and aids in theingition of cold… More

A growing need exists by both the military and industry for a rapid method of remotely measuring the thickness of the arctic sea ice cover. we propose to develop an electromagnetic induction sensor to remotely measure sea ice thickness from an aircraft. theory suggests this technique has good… More

The jet injection at the tip of an axisymmetric nose cone in hypersonic flow will be studied by an efficient and accurate numerical scheme. the proposed research will investigate and develop the numerical scheme for the full navier-stokes equation using a total variation diminishing (tvd) type of… More

Phase behavior studies of the hfo(2)/ta(2)o(5) and hfc/tac systems are proposed. this work emphasizes measurement of liquidous temperatures and will identify phases present between about 1500 deg c and 2500 deg c. the proposal includes novel in situ methods involving co(2) laser heating and the use… More

The synthetic production of large single crystals has recently become a problem of critical importance to the electronics industry. the development of faster and more powerful microcomputer chips depends on the availability of uniform crystals of more exotic materials than the traditional silicon.… More

Laboratory experiments conducted in a stratified tow tank are proposed to characterize vortex wakes under the influence of atomospheric disturbance. flow research has developed innovative techniques for stratifying the fluid in the tank, generating a current shear and creating ambientturbulence with… More

A practical and inexpensive sensor for radon gas is proposed. radon is a radioactive gas which permeates into houses in many areas and is now believed to be responsible for thousands of cancer deaths annually. current approaches to radon measurement sample over either too shortor too long a period,… More

The successful development of high-temperature ceramics or ceramic composites for use in combustion engine environmentswill require development of thermodynamically stable oxides for protective coatings or as the matrix material in whisker- or fiber-toughened composites. this program will develop… More

Flow industries has conceived a novel drilling method that enables rapid penetration of hard rock with a drill having no moving parts. the drill utilizes a high-velocity water/abrasive spray emitted from a stationary pipe and nozzle assembly. limited laboratory testing has been conducted, verifying… More

The proposed study will research and develop a novel and cost-effective method using high-energy electromagnetic pulse for fabrication of metal-matrix surface composites, including multi-ply laminates, rapid solidified coatings, ceramic phase dispersion and amorphous phases. in phase i, process… More

The proposed study will research and develop a unique type of surface alloying process in which the contact tip of a scanning electrode is transferred to and alloyed with an electrically conducting substrate material by the passage ofrepetitive, high current, and short duration electrical pulses.… More

The proposed project addresses the need for a system to deploy explosives underground. the system would be based on a guided horizontal boring tool capable of making excavations up to 400 feet in length at depths up to 7 feet. the tool uses pressurized fluid jets to cut through a wide variety of… More

The successful development of high-temperature ceramics or ceramic composites for use in combustion engine environments will require development of thermodynamically stable oxides for protective coatings or as the matrix material in whiskeror fiber-toughened composites. this program will develop… More

This proposal describes a computational effort, based on a lagrangian "vortex-scalar element" method, for the simulation of a time-dependent mixing layer under both nonreacting and nonpremixed reacting conditions. the method represents vorticity and scalars (concentrations and temperature) by… More

The long-term objective of this project is to provide a superior dental ceramic prosthesis material and fabrication system to replace current gold- and porcelain-based technology. the aim of phase i is to develop a new, reinforced glass-ceramic material with optical characteristics similar to… More

Flow industries, inc. has developed a powerful new cutting tool using highly pressurized waterjets in combinations with abrasive material. the abrasive-waterjet cuts all metals and non-metals with no heat, vibration or shear stress effects, leaving an exceptional surface finish. the objective of… More

There is a growing need to significantly lighten present military weapons systems and munitions through use of advanced lightweight composite materials. one obstacle to extended use of these materials is the difficulty of machining them. a method that offers great potential is the abrasive-waterjet… More

Although strong in the laminate plane, composites exhibit weak interlaminar properties. as a result, delaminations can occur during manufacturing or in service environments. this proposal addresses a need for fracture criteria models for both organic and metal matrix composites. a major objective is… More

The proposed fiber optic tactile sensor uses variable birefringence to provide a much needed robotic end effector with sensing capabilities including pressure, force, touch and proximity. a two-dimensional array of these miniature pressure sensors provides a planar tactile sensor. a major advantage… More

The unsteady flow phenomena around realistic scramjet flame holders will be studied using an efficient time-accurate numerical scheme. numerical simulation of a subsonic ramjet has shown an interaction between the large-scale vortices and acoustic waves at a characteristic nonacoustic… More

An experimental investigation of shock wave/shear layer interactions to enhance mixing in a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine is proposed. in a scramjet engine operating at hypersonic flight speeds, the shorter residencetime and decreased mixing rate cause deterioration in the… More

This program will investigate advanced abrasive waterjet (awj) techniques to facilitate the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. two specific needs are to be addressed: metal surface removal for complete decontamination of large, heavily contaminated metal structures and… More

There exists considerable scientific and commercial interestin the geology of the ocean floor. the u.s. navy's deep submergence vehicle (dsv) sea cliff is a manned submersible capable of diving to 20,000 feet. a portion of its annual service is used by the scientific community for geological… More

The ability to optimize the design of v/stol aircraft and to predict their performance requires a good understanding of the complex jet-induced phenomena associated with these aircraft. presently, experimental work is the main avenue followed to gain an understanding of v/stol flows. numerical… More

Aircraft typically use pneumatic tire equipped landing gear. more aircraft are being tasked to be capable of operating to and from paved and rough/soft fields or runways to support ground operations. adjusting tire pressure for optimal tire/soil interaction will be necessary to accomplish this goal.… More

An experimental investigation of innovative flameholder designs to enhance mixing in a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine is proposed. in a scramjet engine operating at hypersonic flight speeds,the shorter residence time and decreased mixing rate cause deterioration in the combustion… More

The objective of this proposal is to develop a high-accuracy, highrange pressure and temperature transducer for the measurement of rapid transients to 700 mpa and temperatures to 3000 k, as well as heat transfer, in gun interiors. all three measuring functions will be performed by one small (about… More

This proposal addresses the development of an automated alignment measuring system for the hypervelocity range/track g facility, located at arnold engineering development center. the objectives of this research and development effort are to evaluate methods for developing a system that can rapidly… More

Directional and extended-reach drilling in gas fields is often employed for more effective gas drainage or, in cases where it is necessary to cross the natural fracture network,to maximize gas recovery. as the drilling direction approaches the horizontal, the rate of penetration diminishes and the… More

A scanning, pulsed diode laser doppler velocimeter (dldv/sp) will be developed for flow measurements in air and water, particulary coastal waters and the marine atmospheric boundary layer. the dldv/sp, based on a field-proven dldv for ocean deployment under ice flows, will be designed for on-axis… More

It has been observed in both small-scale experiments and full-scale fuel system simulators that jet fuels, when heated, undergo chemical reactions that eventually result in sediment/deposit formation. thus, the thermal stability of jet fuels has the deleterious effect of causing fuel system… More

This proposed work will evaluate the use of ultra-high pressure (20,000 to 55,000 psi) waterjets as a method of removing coatings from ship's hull systems. ultra-high pressure (uhp) waterjets are in daily commercial use for numerous cleaning and coating removal tasks. the advantages of uhp water… More

Phase i objectives are to develop the conceptual design of a roller bearing measurement system and to demonstrate its feasibility. then, appropriate measuring techniques for the various parameters will be identified. candidate measuring techniques will include heterodyne interferometers, eddy… More

Manufacture of laminated composite material is a labor intensive and thus an expensive process. a critical problemis the inspection of ply edges to determine whether a ply edge has been placed within tolerance. flow has developed amachine vision system to automate this inspection process. this… More

This research project will experimentally and theoretically treat the surface roughness phenomenon associated with waterjet and abrasive-waterjet cutting. surfaces produced with these techniques are 'striated' due to the global kinematic nature of the "stream-like" cutting tool. experimental… More

The abrasive-waterjet (awj) technology introduced into the marketplace in 1983 was a breakthrough in machining processes, especially for hard-to-machine brittle materials and exotic alloys and composites. this proposal addresses anew concept of forming awjs that may prove to be another breakthrough… More