In order to quantitatively identify the contribution of several critical fuel properties to ignition, combustion and subsequent engine performance of alternate diesel fuels, and empirical mathematical modeling investigation is proposed. the performance of a wide variety of alternate hydrocarbon… More

With oxides like thoria has been known for a long time. however, oxides are not wet by metals, so when oxide dispersion hardened metals are melted, the dispersed oxide separates as a slag and the advantages of dispersion hardening are lost. in this proposal, a new approach to oxide dispersion… More

Titanium base alloys have the advantage that they are lightweight and the disadvantage that they are not strong at elevated temperatures. this project addresses that problem and suggests that titanium base alloys might be strengthened by dispersion hardening with colloidal oxides by a casting… More

The grantee intends to apply the pressure gradients generated by standing ultrasonic waves to separate the cellular elements of blood from plasma. preliminary tests in our lab have shown that a standing ultrasonic wave in the 1 to 2 mhz range produces alternate bands of red blood cells and clear… More

The ubtl division of technology research associates, inc. proposes to conduct a preliminary evaluation observing the effects resulting from the application of a constriction device of new and novel design on the colon of animals. thedevice is intended to provide an alternative to the koch pouch as… More

Cobalt is a strategically important element, and minimizing its use is a problem of national significance. cobalt is used in cemented carbides, particularly tungsten carbide-cobalt, which are in turn used for metal cutting, mining tools, wire drawing dies and the like. in this proposal, tra suggests… More

This proposal describes a unique process for the synthesis of tungsten carbide-cobalt powders. it will offer a way to produce high strength and hardness simultaneously. the process is lower cost. the new process should offer some relief for a critical element, cobalt because of the higher use… More

The long-term objective of this research and develop- ment work is to produce a device that will remove, on line, oil from oil/water emulsions produced as waste from hot water or steam processed in tar sands recovery operations. a new way of using ultrasound to break oil/water emulsions and… More

Ferritic alloys show promise for liquid-metal reac- tors. the major disadvantage of ferritics is their rel- atively poor high-temperature creep strength. the company has shown that it can oxide dispersion strengthen (ods) a number of alloys by a casting process so that one not only obtains high… More

With rapid solidification, it is possible to produce aluminum-iron alloys which have usable strengths at 500 deg f. however, at 650 deg f, these alloys undergo rearrangement and lose strength. this proposal suggests the unique combination of oxide dispersion strengthening with colloidal oxides which… More

Oxide dispersion strengthened alloys have the advantage of high temperature strength. however, conventionally they aremade by powder metallurgy and cannot be melted, cast or welded without losing strength. this proposal suggests thatods alloys can be made by casting if the oxide dispersoid… More

It is planned to apply a method previously used to produce an oxide dispersion-strenghened aluminum to produce a low-density, gold-silica cermet. such a cermet will consist principally of au (70% by volume), with fully-wetted, fine (22-200 um), com- pletely dispersed silica particles. the cermet… More

A copper alloy with significantly improved high temperature properties would be a desirable component of a high heat flux first wall plasma confinement system for fusion reactors. this project will demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating colloidal oxide particles in a molten copper alloy. the… More

During phase ii developmental work on a continuous flow ultrasonic plasma/blood cell separator tra found that it was able to band and move blood cells (thus separating them from plasma) in microhematocrit tubes. this capability allows the development of a device which will rapidly, in a matter of… More

A new technique to join the small (0.05-2 mm diameter) vein and arteries using a dissolvable stent and proprietary semi-automatic wrapping device that sets and completes a cojoining in less than 1 minute. no staples are used and no vessel eversion is required. phase i of the sbir program will test… More

This feasibility study will evaluate the application of a sweeping ultrasonic particle transporter for the noninvasiveclarification of aqueous and vitreous humor. the final device would be a hand-held tool that would allow a physician to noninvasively manipulate micron- to millimeter-sized particles… More

Tra proposes the development of a low cost, electronically steerable agile beam antenna. phase i development will examine the feasibility of the device configured as four quarter wave-length vertical elements(over a ground plane), a pin diode switching and phasing assembly, a dedicated control… More

With the advent of high-grade sosurce depletion, environmental pollution costs and foreign competition, biohydrometallurgy is becoming both application and cost effective. the market strength of gallium and germanium is increasing while domestic ores decrease. tra believe that through bioleaching… More

This study will comprise an evaluation of an oxide dispersion strengthened (ods) solder. the degree of grain refinement and improvement in crack and creep of soldered joints when thermally cycled will be studied. other cast ods metal systems developed at tra have demonstrated grain refinement in the… More

Tra proposes the development of a novel, non-caking ultrasonic filter. the device uses standard filter membranes placed in an acoustic field that traps and transports particles away from the filter surface. both solid and fluid particles suspended in a fluid medium may be acted upon by the moving… More

There is a need for lightweight alloys which are strong at elevated temperature and which can be fabricated to sheet, foil or plate for use in aerospace vehicles. the new alloys should provide at least a 200 degree fahrenheit advantage over present alloys. in this proposal the feasibility of a new… More

Recent work in the field of biodegradation indicates that existing hazardous and costly procedures could be replaced by microbial techniques. microbial degradation is safer and target selective and problems associated with complicated geometries, non-linear surfaces, are eliminated. the air force… More

Technical research associates, inc. proposes to adapt digital transform technologies to improve upon the clinical effectiveness of angiographic imaging. this technology, when applied to magnetic resonance imaging (mri), will permit the imaging of vasculature in isolation from the overlying bone and… More

During phase ii development work on a continuous flow ultrasonic blood cell/plasma separator, technical research associates, inc. found that it was possible to compact the erythrocytes into bands in microhematocrit tubes. the process, using an ultrasonic standing wave, exerts forces sufficient to… More

Technical research associates proposes the development of a novel, noncaking ultrasonic filter, a device that uses standard filter membranes placed in an acoustic field to trap and transport particles away from the filter surface. both solid and fluid particles suspended in a fluid medium may be… More

A four-element feasibility study is proposed to evaluate a novel idea for providing urinary bladder continence to incontinent individuals, especially the aged. the device is a nonsurgically inserted flexible seal. micturition can be initiated by an external seal controller. because the device can be… More

Titanium hydride reaction with ammonia in the presence of a nickel catalyst to form titanium nitride shows unexpected kinetic behanvior. a fundamental study to determine if the cause of this behavior is related to titanium phase changes is proposed. the effects of nitrogen content on wetting of tin… More

The first wall structure of fusion reactors will be exposed to hot plasmas and high heat fluxes. this research will determine the feasibility of using bidirectional graphite reinforcement in copper alloys to provide a transition between ceramic armor (which provides resistance to the plasma… More

Tra proposes the development of a switched hemispherical antenna for use on the sts, space stations and satellites. the antenna has the ability to scan over 2 pi steradians, sample signal strength from a beacon and route data to the appropriate sector. the on-board computer may be interfacedto an… More

Silicon nitride is a ceramic material known for its high temperature strength, toughness and thermal shock resistance. silicon nitride (si3n4) powder is commercially produced by high temperature reactions between nitrogen and silicon or silica and carbon. the objective of this program is to develop… More

Tra proposes to apply nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (mri) techniques to investigate perfusion of blood in the organs. the aim of this project is to develop a model of perfusion and to establish procedures and formalisms for obtaining information about the specific permeability and void fraction… More

Important in aircraft, fluorosilicones are weatherproof, water resistant and most importantly, long-lived. however, there are normal maintenance and repair intervals during which the aircraft must be stripped. presently, phenolic solvents, hot alkali metals, fluorine gas or chlorine trifluoride are… More

The technology of infrared and optical surveillance is an excellent candidate for parallel processing. increased sensitivity and greater coverage has greatly magnified the overall processing problem. tra with mrj proposes to utilize a state-of-the-art parallel processor, the connection machine, to… More

It is proposed to apply novel ultrasound technology to the development of improved centrifugation equipment. this new device will use inclined surfaces in conjunction with ultra-sound force fields to substantially increase sedimentation. because this equipment can produce equivalent separation with… More

Technical research associates, inc. proposes the developmentof a novel platelet-harvesting system based on a previously developed ultrasound separation technology. this technology, developed under an nhlbi grant, allows the sequential separation of cells based on their size, even those cells that… More

In order to use the new ceramic superconductor materials in many applications, the normally brittle materials must be formed into wires. this proposal suggests a wet chemistry technique for forming the superconductor compound into a wire, which will then be coated with a metal jacket to protect the… More

The overall objective of this project is to design an apparatus and procedure to extend the vitality of stored human platelet concentrates for transfusion. experiments will be conducted that will simulate the condition of microgravity storage and at the same time keep most of the platelets away from… More

Polar exploration and study of the polar world have brought about the necessity for housing engineers and scientists who produce liquid and solid wastes that must be disposed ofin what constitutes a hostile environment. this study dealswith selecting waste water techniques which when operating… More

This project will develop a unique animal identification system consisting of a passive implantable and a hand-held active sensor device. phase i development will focus on an initial investigation of the implantable's characteristics with a secondary effort to design the sensor circuitry. small rats… More

Enzymes have been used in industry, for analytical purposes and in medicine since the turn of the century. the low concentration of enzymes which are normally produced by wild strains, however, was a considerable hindrance for new research and application until recent advances in fermentation… More

The first wall structures for future fusion reactors are likely to consist of graphite or carbon/carbon composite brazed to an actively cooled metal substrate. this project involves a technique for vacuum infiltrating one side of thegraphite with molten copper. such infiltrated materials should be… More

Fiber-reinforced polymers comprise a significant fraction of the materials used in the fabrication of recent and developing air force weapon systems. epoxy, polyimide, phenolic and polyester resin bases, in conjunction with kevlar 49 aramid, carbon and glass supports, provide high-performance with… More

Printed boards and components are coated with a protective film, called conformal coatings, primarily to prevent, or at least to minimize, degradation in electrical performance when subjected to environmental stresses. these conformal coatings are systems of synthetic resins that are dissolved in… More

The long-term objective of this project is to successfully combine ultrasound technology developed at tra with assay methods and pectroscopic analytical techniques for detecting specific toxins in whole blood samples. the research in phase i of this proposal focuses on the application of this… More

The overall objective of this project is to design, develop, and construct a fully disposable plasmapheresis device that will offer superior performance, reduction in costs, and increased safety for both clinicians and patients. preliminary investigations of blood separation using packed columns… More

Technical research associates, inc. and hill air force base personnel have exchanged ideas and technologies in several air force sbir phase i and phase ii projects. in these projects, tra established successful polyurethane and epoxy paint degradation. an air force phase ii, now in progress, is… More

The detection of air vehicles is a challenging technical problem. a low cost approach using passive sensors in both the visible and mid-range infrared (mwir) is proposed. this approach exploits the advantages of each spectral region. visible light performs well only in the daytime, although cheap… More

The objectives of this phase i effort are: i. study eutectic combinations of hydroxylammonium perchlorate and other oxidizers. a. develop the phase diagram of hap and ammonium perchlorate. b. develop the phase diagram of hap and potassium perchlorate. ii. study the effects of monoethanolamine… More

The overall objective of this project is to design, develop, and construct a bone marrow separation device that will offer significantly superior performance compared with current methods of velocity sedimentation. in phase i, technical research associates, inc. (tra) will apply patented… More

Tra proposes to develop, construct, and produce a small (130 in [3]) lightweight (2-3 lbs) multipurpose medical centrifuge for combat casualty care units. the centrifuge will be powered by either 110-220 vac, 50-60 hz or batteries and will be designed and tested to operate in extreme temperature,… More

Copper-graphite composites offer a unique combination of high thermal conductivity and high-temperature strength and modulus. they are particularly useful for thermal management in space power generation. however, because molten copper does not wet graphite, hot pressed copper/graphite composites… More

A new technique for depositing refractory metal coatings on ceramics or semiconductors is suggested. the process is based upon a liquid precursor which could be coated on semiconductor wafers using the same techniques which are currently used for liquid resist coatings. after baking, the liquid… More

The electronics industry has become a major economic force. by 1991, six percent ($758 million) of the total semiconductor market will be accounted for by gallium arsenide (gaas) components. gaas wafers will also account for a steady 6 percent share of total merchant wafer consumption through 1991.… More

Chemically removed spent aircraft metals and their salts whose wastes are of great concern to the air force can include chromium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, titanium and magnesium. environmental laws concerning the disposal of these waste materials are becoming increasingly strict and new processes… More

In the past decade, wastepaper recycling has gained a wider acceptance. depletion of tree stocks, waste water treatment demands and environmental awareness have driven recycling both in government and industrial spheres. using greater quantitites of wastepaper stock reduces the need for virgin fiber… More

1Heat sinks in the Navy Standard Electronic Module could be improved by increasing the thermal conductivity of the heat sink, decreasing its density and providing a better match between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the heat sink and the electronic circuit boards. Based upon a proprietary… More

The overall objective is to prove the feasibility and further develop a new method for isolating and culturing neurons from adult mouse brains and cerebella. it is not now possible to culture neurons directly from adult animals. as a result, in vitro research in the neurosciences and in… More

The overall objective of this project is to integrate terfenol-d into new actuator designs applicable to dexterous exoskeletal feedback systems for telerobotic applications. the development of new efficient, responsive, small, lightweight actuators is critical to the achievement of sensory feedback… More

Thermoset resin impregnated yarns, fabrics and tapes (prepregs) comprise a significant fraction of the materials used in the fabrication of current and developing air force aircraft systems. two problems exist, however, with the prepreg materials. these materials have only a six-month shelf life and… More

Feeding rats a semipurified diet containing casein as a protein source results in severe gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity when the chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate (MTX) is given. However, when soy concentrate protein is used in place of casein, rats are completely protected from toxicity. The… More

This project is developing a novel separation technology based on new bulk separation parameters. field-flow fractionation (fff) is a well established separation method for separation of macromolecules and particlates. separation is effected by the combined action of an applied field force and a… More

This project suggests a novel processing technique for fabricating a high-speed steel composite. a homogeneous dispersion of nano-sized oxide particles within the iron-based matrix substitutes for the carbide precipitates in current formulations, without complex heat treatments and extensive… More

High rate-of-fire weapons are subject to significant barrel erosion as projectile velocity and burst lengths are increased. Bore temperatures exceeding the melting point of steel can be easily reached because of the low thermal conductivity of the steel barrel. Barrels comprised of copper/graphite… More

High-power ammonia arcjet thrusters are being investigated as primary propulsion systems for carrying satellites into high altitude orbits. As a method to enhance the power levels and efficiency of the engine, the thermal emissivity of the outer anode surface must be substantially enhanced. Ideally,… More

In the next generation of air-breathing high-performance engines, significant engine performance improvements are envisioned by combusting hydrogen with air in a regeneratively cooled carbon/carbon composite combustion chamber. Surfaces subjected to aerodynamic heating will also be cooled by… More

There is increasing awareness about the problems associated with blood transfusions. One concern isbacterial contaimination of blood bags. If contaminated blood is transfused, the person receiving thbecoming sick and dying. Current standards require that blood be visually inspected before leaving… More

This project continues the investigation of Ultrasonic forces coupled with Field-Flow Fractionationseparate macromolecules and cells. A prototype Ultrasonic Field-Flow Fractionation apparatus has beefabricated and tested. The device is configurable in three modes. Retention has been demonstrated… More

Space-based systems must dissipate tens to hundreds of watts for communications, housekeeping, etc. TRA proposes a novel thermal strap which would allow efficient energy conduction from heat sources to the structure of the spacecraft or to heat dissipation units. The thermal strap would utilize high… More

Power Electronic Building Blocks are envisioned to allow large amounts of power to be controlled by small, modular blocks, with similar blocks being used for both military and commercial applications. In order to accommodate the large amounts of heat generated by the electronic switches within the… More

Among composite materials, aluminum/graphite and copper/graphite composites are potentially leading materials for use in high-performance electronic systems. The use of aluminum matrix (Al/Gr) composites for packaging material, however, have been severely limited because of the raw material and… More

New tactical missiles may require on-demand thrust control utilizing liquid propellent systems. the objective of this project is to develop a small, highly controllable, low cost. electrically driven high pressure liquid fuel pump to be used for tactical missile propulsion sustems. Phase I will… More

40532 November 12, 1996 Technical Research Associates, Inc. Capacitors with extremely high power densities (¿ultracapacitors¿) offer significant performance advantages in automotive applications by leveling the loads on the batteries. Current… More

The objective of the proposed project is to design, develop, and construct equipment to centrifugally filter highly corrosive process solutions using a novel technology. Central to this new technology is a replaceable, reusable, inert polymer drum which is periodically removed as it fills with… More

This Phase I will test the application of high heat conducting carbon fibers to increase the efficiency of air/liquid heat exchangers. TRA's unique technology to apply molten copper to carbon fibers will allow the reliable construction of copper/graphite heat exchanger structures. Since TRA's… More

New tactical missiles may require on-demand thrust control utilizing liquid propellent systems. the objective of this project is to develop a small, highly controllable, low cost. electrically driven high pressure liquid fuel pump to be used for tactical missile propulsion sustems. Phase I will… More

The proposed work will demonstrate a new and innovative technique for improving the spatial resolution of hyperspectral image data. This technique, called Joint Endmember Determination and Unmixing, promises to combine a high-resolution panchromatic imagewith a lower spatial resolution… More

"The proposed work will develop and demonstrate innovative sensor technology and algorithms for the detection of disturbed soil. This proposed effort will first investigate the remote sensing observables of soil disturbance as seen by electro-optical andinfrared sensors and SAR. Based upon this… More

The resolution of hyperspectral sensors is typically much less than that achieved by panchromatic and multi-spectral sensors due to fundamental noise limitations. The proposed work will demonstrate a new and innovative technique based on linear unmixing,called Color Sharpening, which combines a set… More

The resolution of hyperspectral sensors is typically much less than that achieved by panchromatic and multi-spectral sensors due to fundamental noise limitations. The proposed work will demonstrate a new and innovative technique for improving the spatial resolution of hyperspectral image data and… More

Hyperspectral and multi-spectral sensors are assuming a greater role in all aspects of military surveillance and intelligence. While many excellent packages exist for analyzing this data, there has been minimal progress made towards the development of techniques that focus on supporting/aiding the… More

Technical Research Associates, Inc. proposes to develop Visualization Software for Multi- and Hyperspectral Imagery Exploitation. This Hyperspectral Visualization Environment (HVE) software will provide insight into hyperspectral and multi-spectral sensor data with maximum efficiency, by… More

Current hyperspectral analysis, used to extract information related to nuclear fuel cycle signatures, relies on principal component and matched filter processing, which may not fully exploit all of the information in the data. This project will develop an innovative method for: (1) using… More

Hyperspectral sensor systems are currently under consideration for applications related to monitoring the nuclear fuel cycle and other signatures of interest to the nonproliferation community. These applications include the detection of camouflaged and concealed targets, gas plume detection and… More

The detection of activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction requires a capability of the automatic tracking of moving vehicles from an overhead platform. Current approaches rely on spatial-temporal characteristics coupled with moving object maps and tracking techniques. … More

Geopolitical changes over the last twenty years have led to significant changes in the type of warfare that the Navy and the Marines have been asked to undertake. The Navy is increasingly asked to operate in littoral regions, and even riverine areas, leading to new requirements for accurate… More

The Hyperspectral Visualization Environment (HVE) has been developed under SBIR funding for allowing the use of multi and hyperspectral data in the NAVAIR targeting process. These new data sources will allow the detection and targeting of hidden targets as well as better terrain classification. The… More