Conventional light gas guns (lgg) are described, and variants to obtain hypervelocity performance outlined. conclusions from recent contracts to evaluate the feasibility of lgg in air-to-ground warfare are presented showing the difficult technical challenges associated with a conventional lgg. the… More

The navy needs rugged, fast-response gas temperature measuring capability; a specific application is in measuring missile launcher eject chamber temperature transients. this proposal describes a thermal probe system capable of measuring gas temperature changes of hundred of degrees fahrenheit in… More

The melt temperature, heat of fusion, liquid viscosity, and ultrahigh temperature strength of graphite and carbon-carbon materials are uncertain and of substantial interest relative to nosetip performance in advanced earth entry missions. the objective of this project is to use components of a… More

Ablation behavior and thermal protection requirements for reentry vehicles are significantly influenced by rough wall convection effects. to accurately characterize the effects for system design, it is essential to understand the physics of the turbulent boundary layer subject to arbitrary… More

The air force needs reliable and accurate gas temperature measuring capability at high temperatures. a specific application is in measuring gas turbine combustor exit temperatures, where current needs exceed the capability of existing temperature measurement systems. this program will determine the… More

The operation of gas turbine augmenters can generate intense acoustic pressures which influence the performance of the augmenter and the durability of the structure. these phenomena have been of concern for several years, particularly in the operation of ramjet engines, and have been the subject of… More

Rail insulator materials performance is critical to the viability of electromagnetic rail guns as kinetic energy weapons for sdi missions. the insulators are exposed to a severe thermal, mechanical, and electrical multi-shot environment. the objective of this research is to identify and demonstrate… More

There is a critical need to measure structureborne noise transmission in aircraft, particularly those powered by the advanced turboprop. it is proposed that a structureborne intensity measurement procedure be formulated and developed for in-flight application. the procedure would include… More

Astron research and engineering proposes to assess the feasibility of implementing a usaf-wide database of finite element models for the supportability of structures of usaf aircraft. this study will include (1) an examination of various air force organizations and their current methods and… More

Much actual shipboard de-icing is currently done manually with brooms, scrapers, and axe-handles. existing hydrodynamic systems include high pressure pulsed water jets (which are quick to cut ice with their high momentum, but slow to break ice adhesion due to their low enthalpy) and steam sprays… More

The oblique detonation wave engine (odwe) is a candidate alternative to the supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) for hypersonic aeropropulsion. the potential advantages of the odwe over the scramjet include: lower diffuser temperatures and pressures, with correspondingly lower flow deceleration… More

Achieving the hypervelocity potential of electromagnetic railguns is impaired by ablation of bore materials and a lack of well validated understanding of plasma armature performance. development of bore materials and modeling of plasma armatures is hampered by the lack of diagnostics which can… More

An innovative solar power generation concept named optical waveguide (ow) solar power system is proposed. in this system solar radiation is collected by concentrator panel consisting of a matrix of lenses or mirrors. the ow consisting of optical fibers and other optical components transfers the… More

Astron research and engineering proposes to assess the feasibility of implementing a usaf-wide database of cfd models for the supportability of aerodynamic of usaf aircraft. this study will include (1) an examination of various air force organizations and their current methods and requirements for… More

Data from recovered rocket motors has convincingly shown that more charring/erosion occurs on forward dome insulation during flight than in static firing. the problem of flight amplification of charring/erosion has greatly increased to complexity of the design process for future rocket motors,… More