Award Data

AVID has identified and demonstrated significant advantages of smart material aerodynamic actuators for micro air vehicles. The solid-state nature of this flight control actuation scheme allows for scalability to miniature sizes, as well as increases in overall reliability. The general approach to morphing flight control surfaces has been proven through the Phase I results. Aerodynamic predictions ...

Current infrared cameras are commercially available for thermal imaging systems in the range of 2-14 micron. Some critical military applications require high spatial resolution infrared fiber bundle for imaging in areas inaccessible to the cameras because of size and/or harsh environments. IRFlex proposes an innovative solution to this problem that leverages recent advances in mid-infrared fiber ...

The space environment poses two significant challenges to spacecraft that have been historically mitigated by coating systems: electrostatic discharge (ESD) and thermal threats. The ESD spacecraft threat is a result of high radiation flux from both solar storms and potential nuclear threats that can cause charge build-up on exterior spacecraft surfaces. While spacecraft systems referenced to stru ...

The development of a distributed simulation network monitoring and management system is critical to achieving the capability to detect and isolate small abnormalities in network applications or portions of the distributed simulation network before they reach a catastrophic stage. The objective of this R&D project is to continue development of such a network management system consisting of innovat ...

ABSTRACT: Aurora Flight Sciences, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), proposes to further develop and test in realistic settings an innovative method for representing and managing multidisciplinary design information from a wide range of analysis tools. The practical implication resulting from this novel approach is a mathematical framework to confidently determ ...

Designers of modern, high speed electrical power generation machinery have had great success in increasing the overall system efficiency of these machines over the past few decades. These increases in efficiency are extremely important for applications in modern tactical aircraft, where any losses ultimately heat the fuel. As machine power levels increase to meet aircraft system demands, fuel tem ...

In this Phase I project, Nuvotronics proposes to extend and apply our PolyStrataTM metal micromachining technology to provide solutions for multifunction and conformal antenna designs in the sub-millimeter wave region of the spectrum. In multifunction antennas, high amounts of isolation are generally required between each function of the antenna. The high isolation that is intrinsic to the Poly ...

The proposed multi-spectral IFF beacon will use 40 to 50 % effient high power laser diodes at 863, 1064, and 1550 nm wavelengths. Thermal emitters including diamond-like carbon thin films, photonic crystals, and quantum cascade lasers will be characterized and compared. Finally a model to predict the detection range of IFF beacons will be developed using proprietary emitter power and atmospheric ...

The Air Force Phase I STTR program would develop and demonstrate high temperature version of ‘sensor skins’ capable of multi-axis flow characterization on air breathing hypersonic engines. This would build upon NanoSonic’s successful demonstration of Metal Rubber™ transducer materials for the measurement of flow-induced skin friction and pressure at low temperatures and transonic and super ...

The current practice for joining airframe structures together involves a costly and labor intensive process. Fasteners are often conversion-coated, primed, and sealed with an electrically conductive hot melt material. The existing hot melt material provides adequate conductivity, but is expensive, lacks the flexibility needed for long term durability, and takes several minutes to apply to each f ...