Award Data

Metallic additive manufacturing (AM) is an attractive technology for the production of lethality test articles due to the potential for significantly reduced lead time and manufacturing cost.However, in order to be effective in providing accurate lethality data, the properties of the AM material have to match closely the properties of conventionally manufactured alloys found in real threat targets ...

Future MDA space missions will utilize small spacecraft with correspondingly small, advanced sensor systems. Cooling of these sensors is required to decrease detector noise and increase detector sensitivity by maintaining the detector at a reduced operating temperature. The cooling system comprises a mechanical cryocooler and its control electronics, both of which are critical technologies to enab ...

Presently the missile defense systems are using a reactive and program-centric framework for assessing industrial base risk. The Phase I effort focused on developing a wide and deep network algorithm using Industrial Product-Support Vendor (IPV) Gen II program for predicting the probability of failure. The proposed Phase II effort leverages the Phase I work and will focus on three main goals:(1) I ...

The proposed project aims to pursue an innovative approach of utilizing deep learning algorithms to improve the performance of state-of-the-art MEMS Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to push their performance to fullest extent possible as replacements for existing Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOG) systems for navigation and guidance in future missile system avionics including Sounding Rockets. During P ...

Diode-Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs) have great potential for high-energy lasers. Proper design of these systems is challenging because many interrelated processes impact their performance, and critical kinetic rate coefficients are not well known. In response, our team is developing a comprehensive physics-based analysis/design tool, and experimentally determining key kinetic rate coefficients. The ...

Magnesium alloys have 35% lower density compared to aluminum, with improved temperature stability compared to high strength aluminum.They can also be fabricated with minimum gauge thicknesses considerably thinner than fiber composites, and are weldable, with much higher impact resistance.Traditional magnesium alloys, however, have had lower strengths than more developed aluminum alloys.Powder meta ...

Optonicus proposes development of the TAP-LAM (Test Article Printing with Laser Additive Manufacturing for Threat Surrogate Target Production) powder bed fusion and directed energy depositions systems. The TAP-LAM metal additive manufacturing system will advance strategic missile defense system testing capabilities by improving 3D printing methods to rapidly produce large-scale threat surrogate ta ...

We propose to develop Co-located Triple Band Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIP) Arrays. The innovative features are: Co-located Triple Band Structure The detection of short waveband (0.7-2.micro.m) midwaveband (3-5.micro.m) and long waveband (8-13.micro.m) signals takes in the same pixel (Co-located pixel). Simultaneous Detection of 3-Color Signals The design is such that detection of 3- ...

Unexpected coupling between nuclear reaction cross sections and the solid state of metal deuterides has been demonstrated in layered Pd-PdO deuterided structures. As a result, high rates of charged particle and neutron measurements have been observed through a reaction initiated by altering the chemical state of the system. Moreover, the system acts as an amplifier of fast neutrons, with a 200-to- ...

The development of a microwave curing method for resin matrix composites and jointing/bonding epoxy is proposed. This technique will take advantage of the ability of vapor-grown carbon fiber (VGCF) to absorb microwave energy with high efficiency. By adding VGCF to resin matrix composite material and epoxy, we hope that the materials can be processed by microwave irradiation in a manner that result ...