The main objective of this project is to develop the technology for fabricating high temperature, high oxidation resistant mosi2/sic laminated composite structures via a scalable and cost-effective chemical vapor deposition (cvd) process. in phase i, the chemical compatibility between sic and mosi2… More

The main objective of this proposed program is to develop the technology for fabricating high temperature, high oxidation resistants mosi2/sic fiber reinforced ceramic structures via a scalable and cost effective chemical vapor deposition (cvd) + hot isostatic-pressing processes. in phase i, the… More

New materials are needed for space-borne precision optical components and thermo-mechanically stable, large lightweight structures. the opprtunity exists for fabricating both optical components and support-ing structures with materials of the same chemical composition. calcium-zirconium-phosphate… More

A need exists for a robust high-emittance coating which can be applied on windtunnel models to enable measurement of their suface temperatures. based on over 30 years of experience with carbon-black-loaded polymers, infrared-absorbing agricultural plastics, particle dispersion control and… More

The quantum dot semiconductors, the subject of this proposal, are a new class of nonlinear optical materials which offer considerable promise for the fabrication of novel nonlinear optical composites and resulting deves. the filter glasses (a subset of this class of materials) are now well known but… More

The nicocraiy composites are extensively used for oxidation protection of ni-base superalloys. however, for higher temperature ti-alloys, this overlay will react with the substrate thus defeating the intended purpose of the coating. this project explores the development of a composite coating where… More

SURVEILLANCE IN THE INFRA-RED PART OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM DEMANDS INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS TO DESIGN QUANTUM WELL (QW) DETECTORS FOR WAVELENGTH BEYOND 12 UM. THE REQUIREMENT FOR LOW TUNNELING CURRENT AND SUPERIOR TRANSPORT PROPERTIES MAKE InAs-In(x)Ga(1-x)Sb, A TYPE II SUPERLATTICE, A SUITABLE… More

Analysis of material surface defect plays an important role in the development of new materials and fabrication processes, and in the diagnosis of process problems in material manufacture. The task of manual defect analysis is labor intensive and tedious, and the level of automation available is… More

Currnet Ni-based metallic turbine shrouds, coated with ceramic abradable materials, are limited to temperatures not exceeding 2,100 F. Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) demands gas turbine hot sections with operational temperatures up to 2,500 F (1,370 C). Ceramic… More

This proposal addresses the need for a physical model for Life Prediction of Aging Aircraft Wiring. Our primary Phase I objectives would be to (i) Identify critical aircraft wiring properties for AF Fighter aircraft. The data will be compiled and the highest frequency failure modes will be… More

This proposal focuses on the development of heterostructure acoustic charge transport (HACT) Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) structures, which potentially address a larger number of pixels with substantially fewer interconnects, as input and output devices for a 3-D volume optical memory. Unlike… More

SURVEILLANCE IN THE INFRA-RED PART OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM DEMANDS INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS TO DESIGN QUANTUM WELL (QW) DETECTORS FOR WAVELENGTH BEYOND 12 UM. THE REQUIREMENT FOR LOW TUNNELING CURRENT AND SUPERIOR TRANSPORT PROPERTIES MAKE InAs-In(x)Ga(1-x)Sb, A TYPE II SUPERLATTICE, A SUITABLE… More

General visual inspection, the current practice of aircraft wire maintenance, is almost entirely dependent on human decision making. An inspector reads/deciphers wire identification markings and sorts through voluminous printed documents to determinerelevant interconnection data. Intangible… More

Military and Civil standards (SAE ARP 1179B, ICAO Annex 16 Volume II) for aircraft gas turbine engine smoke emissions are based upon an essentially manual extractive probe sampling method with off-line sample analysis and data processing. These standards,which are similar, were designed to… More

Polyoxometalate (POM) and/or coinage-metal complexes that exhibit dramatic color changes on reaction with chemical warfare agents (CWAs) will be incorporated into cellulose matrices (paper and cotton) by robust electrostatic and covalent bonds to preparelightweight, easy-to-use, color-indicating… More

General visual inspection, the current practice of aircraft wire maintenance, almost entirely depends on human decision-making. An Inspector reads/deciphers wire identification markings and sorts through voluminous printed documents to determine relevant interconnection data. Intangible limitations… More

The overall objective of this Phase II program is to produce, by the end of the two-year effort, a low-cost, ready-to-use, field-deployable simple kit comprising paper, wood or plastic strips that detect the principal chemical warfare agents (CWAs) - Mustard, Sarin, Soman, and VX - in liquid as well… More

Snubber/damper damping performance is severely limited by component size and load constraints yielding insufficient RLM damping. Solutions using existing technology lead to excessive snubber damper size and weight to accommodate all operating conditions. Also, current snubber/damper designs are… More

Dampers in the present articulated rotor systems are all completely passive devices. They are high maintenance components in which internal dynamic seals are constantly subjected to sustained high vibratory pressures and motions causing fatigue and ultimate failure. Consequently, conventional… More

Recent high usage of helicopters in Iraq and Afghan theatres underscores a need for rotorcraft safety and reliability improvements. Rotor induced vibrations cause significant airframe fatigue and electronic component failure. In current generation rotorcraft, vibration attenuation is achieved… More

The lead-lag motions of rotor blades in a helicopter require damping to stabilize them. In practice, this has necessitated the use of external hydraulic dampers which suffer from a high maintenance cost. This high operational cost has prompted the rotorcraft industry to use elastomeric lead-lag… More

In a rotorcraft, optimized camber change not only reduces vibratory hub loads and noise but also increases available thrust and improved flight control augmentation. Therefore, the ability to dynamically change airfoil camber is a significant technology advancement leading to improved overall… More

Recent high usage of helicopters in Iraq and Afghan theatres underscores a need for improvements in rotorcraft safety and reliability. Rotor induced vibrations contribute significantly to airframe fatigue, electronic component failure, and pilot workload. In current generation rotorcraft, vibration… More

In rotorcraft flight dynamics, optimized warping camber/twist change is a potentially enabling technology for improved overall rotorcraft performance. Recent research efforts have led to the application of active materials for rotorcraft blade actuation to dynamically change the blade camber/twist.… More

Lead-lag motions of rotor blades in helicopters require damping to stabilize them. In practice, this has necessitated the use of external hydraulic dampers which suffer from high maintenance costs. High operational (lifecycle) cost has prompted rotorcraft industry to use elastomeric lead-lag dampers… More

Free-play nonlinearity of the control surfaces has a direct impact on aircraft's dynamic stability characteristics. . It is impossible to design and manufacture a control surface with zero free-play. As control surface free-play increases, tighter limits must be imposed on the aircraft mission… More

The need exists for a fast drying, robust, low gloss, black, high emissivity coating that can be applied easily on aircraft rocket nozzles and nozzle extensions. Based on their 40+ years of experience with loaded polymers, particle dispersion and surface gloss control, scientists at Materials… More

Aerospace structures are prone to damage. In addition to cracks seen in metals, composite structures exhibit other characteristic damage modes such as, matrix cracking, delamination, fiber debonding and breakage and matrix voids. Infrared thermography methods can reveal many subsurface defects in… More

An accurate assessment of composite structural performance and proactive component and system life management strategies requires quantitative information on the damage states of the components. Recent advances in infra-red (IR) sensing and data processing technologies have enabled real-time… More

Helicopters with articulated rotor blades are subject to the well-known ground resonance where the rotor lag mode interacts, in an unstable fashion, with fuselage roll. To eliminate this ground resonance, both lag dampers and fuselage roll dampers are required. The Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter… More

ABSTRACT: At present, the common practice in the fighter aircraft industry is to use touch probes as secondary measurement systems to maintain tight machining tolerance control. The current touch-probe inspection process renders the typical milling machine idle while features of the machined part… More

ABSTRACT: Aircraft structural components are prone to damage typically assessed by various NDE tools. Damage to the aircraft structural components decreases operational readiness and compromises safety if improperly maintained; however, frequent inspections and maintenance is expensive. CBM+… More

To accurately account for effects of environmentally assisted cracking in the overall structural life, quantitative information on the sustained residual stresses needs to be identified. Current methods for residual stress evaluation lack the required level of quantitative accuracy to permit the… More

The Exercise Load Measurement Insole (ELMI) is a system that is designed to measure normal and shear foot forces during exercise. The ELMI system is lightweight, portable, unobtrusive, and its versatility allows it to be used for many purposes outside of exercise load measurement and study. At the… More

Considerable research and development effort has been devoted to improving seating in helicopters since the early 1960s when the need for improved ergonomics and crashworthiness was first established. Yet currently a typical rotorcraft crew/pilot seat uses only passive shock absorbers for mediocre… More

The overall goal of this Army SBIR program is to develop innovative solutions for mitigation of high-frequency rotor induced whole body vibration of seated occupants in helicopters while providing failsafe adaptive crash safety that surpasses the limited protection provided by the current… More