Award Data

ABSTRACT: To produce high dielectric strength insulator materials, our approach, called Optimized Additive Manufacturing for High Dielectric Strength (OAHDS), will optimize fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing in order to fabricate high density parts. Currently, thermoplastics 3D printed via FFF have dielectric strengths one to three orders of magnitude lower than injection molded parts ma ...

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: CompuTherm, LLC proposes a pilot project to develop an innovative modeling tool for rapid deployment of thermodynamic capability for Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). To be developed on the basis of CompuTherms current capability, Pandat software, the proposed modeling tool represents the next generation of CALPHAD software. The significant advances of the proposed m ...

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: With the increasing demand on structural performance as well as decreasing size and weight of advanced flying structures, there is a reduction in the available volume for aircraft instrumentation. In addition, integral fabrication of structures using composite materials and close integration and optimization of aircraft system and subsystems limit further access and space for sensors, ...

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 ...

ABSTRACT: The next generation of hypersonic and reentry vehicles being designed for the Department of Defense (DoD) applications will require advanced Thermal Protection System (TPS). While new TPS shields are under development, a key difficulty is the ability to predict and diagnose TPS performance. ElectroDynamic Applications (EDA) has been developing an optical diagnosticfor use during testi ...

ABSTRACT: In this project, Soluxra, LLC will team up with Prof. Alex Jen at the University of Washington to streamline the scale-up synthesis for highly efficient organic electro-optic (EO) material systems, and optimize their processing conditions to ensure device end-users will get high EO activity (Pockels coefficient>200 pm/V). The design of these materials will leverage the recent remarkable ...

ABSTRACT: State of the art Orbital Transfer Vehicle systems require the demanding combined requirements of both high Thrust-to-Power (greater than 120 mN/kW) and high specific impulse (greater than 3000 s), all at constant power. The 25 kW PROTEAN system is a two-stage plasmoid thruster which adds an secondary auxiliary Neutral Entrainment (NE) stage to the ElectroMagnetic Plasmoid Thruster (EMPT ...

ABSTRACT: The proposed Phase I efforts seek to develop a dual-mode Hybrid ChemicalElectric Propulsion thruster concept design based on the extensive microwave torch/arcjet experience of PSU and Hall and ion experience of EDA. The primary focus of the Phase I effort will be demonstrate the operation of an ionic liquid microwave thruster in the high-T/P regime and the basic operation of a Hall and ...