Award Data

This proposal is directed at creating discontinuous unidirectional composite from continuous unidirectional prepreg. The process, Selectively-Discontinuous-Fiber (SDF), introduces micro-cuts in preimpregnated unidirectional materials at specified locations. This process will allow unidirectional composite prepreg to be used for the fabrication of complex-compound components that have be ...

Current fire fighting training methods are possibly lacking maximum effectiveness due to increasing safety and environmental regulation. Additionally, performance measurement in large classes becomes difficult unless trainees have identical training scenarios and evaluations. This proposal details the analysis of current training methods and subsequent emulation of them using virtual reality (VR ...

The AES International Corporation (AESI) of College Station, Texas, in concert with Texas A&M University personnel, can build an airborne ground-penetrating radar system to detect land mines from an Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV). The radar itself will be a totally new and fully airworthy flight demonstration unit, the principles and characteristics of which will be conceptually similar to two p ...

AMI utilizes a technique known as the "ribbon wind" approach to manufacture infrared fiber image bundles. The ribbon wind approach provides a unique opportunity to manufacture relatively low cost, large format, medium resolution infrared fiberoptic image bundles for industrial, commercial and military applications. Indeed, this approach has been applied successfully by numerous fiberoptic manufa ...

COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT SPACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS DEPEND ON GROUND SUPPORT FOR NAVIGATION. THE GROUND SOLUTION CAN BE COSTLY AND MAY PROVIDE LESS ACCURACY THAN NEEDED. A GPS-BASED REAL-TIME AUTONOMOUS SPACECRAFT NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS PROPOSED. AN ALGORITHM WILL BE DEVELOPED WHICH COMBINES GPS-DERIVED POINT POSITION ESTIMATES WITH A PROPAGATED A PRIORI POSITION ESTIMATE. THE POINT POSITIONS ARE ...

Measuring temperature in specimens being heated by electromagnetic energy requires the use of special probes. The temperature probes must be specially designed to minimize electromagnetic field perturbations. Several types of non-perturbing temperature measurement probes have been investigated and developed. Many employ optical fibers rather than electrical conductors to avoid the e ...

The Dynamic Environment Simulator (DES) at Armstrong Laboratory will be a useful tool for crew member training and human factors research for future high performance aircraft. To make the best use of the DES, this proposal presents a plan for creating a software tool that simulates the operation of the centrifuge. The software would enable scientists to specify a time history of desired crew mem ...

The Head-Spine Model (HSM) is a three-dimensional, discrete element mathematical model and software program that describes the kinematics and loads of the head-neck spine structure due to high impact accelerations. The proposed Phase I development program represents an effort to rehost the FORTRAN software from a Unix workstation environment to an IBM PC-Compatible MS-DOS environment, to study th ...

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of most industrially utilized alloys, including those used in many Naval installations, is well established. However, the diagnosis of MIC type corrosion is often difficult to make using the techniques commonly employed requiring large amounts of tiem and money and "expert opinion". Ther is a need for a less subjective indicator of MIC. The work of seve ...

The primary task output of Phase I will be the formulation of a LCC Model Requirements Specification describing the approach to be used in Phase II to develop a flexible, meaningful PC-based LCC model particularly sensitive to the Navy Aircraft Carrier application. The model specification will embody the results of extensive research into the carrier application, existing LCC models, and input dat ...