Award Data

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) offers superior properties for structural applications. Existing UHPC design and production methods employ special materials and mixers. This project is developing mix design and fabrication methods for reliable production of UHPC with local materials and facilities. The Phase I project devised material selection criteria, proportioning methods and mixing pro ...

ABSTRACT: FIRST RF has teamed with University Research Foundation (URF) and Radiometrics Corporation to develop a passive radiometer-based geolocation system for use with a wide variety of USAF platforms. The system will be comprised of a ruggedized, near-COTS radiometer system by Radiometrics Corporation, augmented with a robust 2-D scanning beamsteering antenna by FIRST RF Corporation and enhanc ...

ABSTRACT: The rapid continued development of unmanned air systems (UAS) is enabling new mission types, in-creased mission effects, and increased airman safety. However, these advances also present numerous challenges to airman-machine interaction, tactics development, and defense. The rapid development pace has produced a situation where new technologies are outpacing the knowledge of how best to ...

ABSTRACT: Wireless communications, radar, and biological detection require electronic components operating in the mm-wave and THz frequency ranges. GaAs metal semiconductor field effect transistor and nanoscale CMOS technologies have demonstrated high frequency capabilities and will likely benefit from future material systems and device architectures. The cost of exploring this wide design space c ...

ABSTRACT: Energetic composite materials comprise crystalline energetic particles embedded in a polymer matrix. There is a need to gain insight into the microstructure and damage mechanisms of energetic composites via nondestructive evaluation. Applications of x-ray computed micro-tomography to resolve the microstructure of energetic composites are challenged by the low density gradient between th ...

The overarching objective of the proposed Phase II is to increase the technology readiness level to enable technology insertion at the conclusion of the Phase II effort. During Phase II, efforts will focus on the optimization of novel adaptive materials enabling future morphing aircraft applications. Composite Technology Development Inc. (CTD) will work with Raytheon Missile Systems and The United ...

Currently, there is a strong need to develop new air breathing propulsion systems to launch vehicles into space, and Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion systems likely will be used for this purpose. In the scramjet portion of the cycle, it is difficult to maintain stable combustion, and the overall heat load in a scramjet engine exceeds the cooling capacity that can be provided from the ...

This SBIR Phase II will demonstrate the feasibility for a unitized component structural design tool that allows for holistic risk assessment. The analysis will transform the FEA predicted stress (or strain) state into fully probabilistic assessment of uncertainty in geometry and loading throughout the component. Thereafter the design tool will conduct probabilistic microstructural damage accumulat ...

Virtual EM, in collaboration with the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences (MNIMBS) of the University of Michigan, proposes to develop the first stage in a BWA sensor, an electronic switch that indicates the presence of a biological warfare agent (BWA). This work will use previously designed aptamers that bind specifically to the BWA. The switch will activate in t ...

The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of automated model development for dynamic system control based on action, event, and outcome sequences. The proposed approach focuses on the implementation of swarm intelligence algorithms that learn rapidly and adapt rapidly to non-stationary environments and scenarios with rapidly changing goals. The swarm intelligence-based mod ...